Force Bond: Summer Accidents
by KittandChips
Summary: Set between Force Bond 2 and 3. Luke is on summer vacation aka a crusade to drive his father to insanity. In Vader's opinion, at least. In Luke's opinion, it's all just a string of accidents.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary**: This is part of the Force Bond series, an AU where Vader raises Luke, but is a complete story unto itself. It is set between FB2 and 3, and after Social Trials, when Luke is fourteen. Luke is on summer vacation ... and also on a crusade to drive his father to insanity. In Vader's opinion, at least. In Luke's opinion, it's all just a string of accidents.

**Completed**: This fic was completed and posted on the lukevader yahoo group in May 2005.

**Modified**: 26 March 2008 (scene dividers)

* * *

**Chapter 1**

* * *

"Ground control to _Black 2_. Come in _Black 2_. Do you read me?"

Luke grinned. _Black 2_ was often the designation given to his father's wingman.

"Hi Lev," he said, not looking away from his hand-held starfighter sim game. He'd only started playing this an hour ago, and already he was addicted. It had been a fourteenth birthday present from his father. Luke had begged him for a flying lesson, but instead he'd come up with this. Since then, it had gathered dust in his closet for a few weeks while the disappointment had worn off. He'd found it this afternoon, and he'd been playing it ever since. It was surprisingly good. "What's up?"

"The ceiling, last time I checked," Lev said, coming to look over Luke's shoulder.

"That joke is so old," Luke groaned, reaching into a nearby bowl of snack food.

"Your father wants to see you," Lev explained.

"Then why doesn't he come and see me?" Luke asked, not bothering to pause the game. He was just about to trump his last high score. "Unlike him, I don't have an appointment schedule."

"I think he intended for you to come to his location, Luke."

"Let me get this straight," Luke said, pressing the controls rapidly. "He wants to see me, so I have to get up off my bed and walk across half the building? Forget it! Tell him I'm trying to play the game he gave me."

Lev's normally unshakeable good temper was starting to sound a little stretched. "You can discuss that with him yourself. He's in conference room 2B."

"I'm not going," Luke said, stubbornly, focusing on the viewscreen.

"Luke, please don't deliberately put your father in a worse mood. Perhaps you can avoid him, but the rest of us aren't so lucky."

Luke sighed. "Guilt, huh?" he said, taking a moment to look up.

Lev grinned. "I prefer 'appealing to your sense of good judgment'."

A sad noise emanated from the game, and Luke looked back to find he'd been blown away by an enemy starfighter. "No! Oh, blast it, I suppose I _have_ to go now."

Luke tossed the game on his bedside table, and struggled to his feet. So much for a lazy afternoon.

"It shouldn't take long," Lev said. "You'll be back shooting down x-wings before you know it."

"What does he _want_, anyway?" Luke asked, following Lev out into the corridor.

"It has something to do with a remote controlled rocket," Lev explained, walking ahead of Luke towards the elevator.

"What about it?"

"And a broken window."

"Am I in trouble?" Luke asked, turning to Lev in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me? I could've made a break for it, and you could have told him I wasn't home."

Lev chuckled. "Come on, Luke. You have nothing to fear from your father."

"Says you."

There was silence until they stepped out of the elevator, and Luke took the time to try and think up some good excuses. The doors to the conference room loomed large, just a few meters down the corridor.

"Good luck," Lev said, patting him on the back.

"Thanks." Luke swallowed, and ventured onwards.

As he walked through the doors, the occupants immediately turned towards him. His father was standing opposite an elaborately dressed man, who was flanked by a couple of stormtroopers. The stranger was looking at Luke with a mix of indignation and surprise.

"Luke, this Administrator Tennan," his father said, gesturing at the man. "He is the executive director of the Imperial Tax Department. Their office is located in one of the neighboring buildings."

"Hello," Luke said, walking forward and offering him his hand. It wasn't accepted. Luke let it fall back by his side.

"He claims this rocket -" his father held up the offending item, which now resembled a charred cylinder more than it did a rocket, "- smashed through his office window and disrupted a management meeting." His father placed the sorry remains on the conference table. "Were you responsible for this?" he asked.

Luke swallowed, staring at what was left of his toy. He could try denying the whole thing, but his father had an annoying habit of seeing straight through any lies. Besides, it was an accident.

"I ... I was flying it around on the balcony, and then it disappeared," Luke admitted. "I thought it had smashed into a wall and fallen into the traffic lanes. I didn't know it had gone through a window!"

The administrator made an odd snorting noise. "I don't believe it."

"What is it you do not believe, Administrator?" his father enquired, sounding halfway between boredom and annoyance.

"With all due respect, Lord Vader, I do not believe that your son would normally spend his time playing with toy rockets. This was a deliberate act of vandalism."

"I don't even know which window is your office," Luke insisted. He glanced up at his father, wondering if he doubted his story himself. He seemed more impatient than angry, however. His earlier tone suggested he considered this whole incident to be beneath his notice.

"I want an apology," the administrator demanded.

"I'm sorry," Luke said, immediately.

"At our next management meeting," he added.

"I suppose you would also like some silence money," Vader suggested, with a hint of sarcasm.

Luke smirked at the tone, but it went over the administrator's head.

"That would not be an unreasonable request. I, of course, would never run to the media, but I cannot vouch for every worker in my department."

"And what will you do if I do not oblige?" his father said. His tone had taken on a cold, dangerous edge that quickly wiped the smirk off Luke's face.

The man started to open his mouth, but then paused, clearly thinking better of it.

"You are a fortunate man, Administrator," his father said, stepping closer to him. "I will let you live today due to the presence of my son. But if you ever accuse him of anything again, you will not be so lucky."

There was a second or two of tense silence, and then his father made a gesture to the stormtroopers. Luke hastily moved away from the exit, anticipating they were about to show him out. He didn't need the encouragement though. As soon as he saw the stormtroopers raise their blasters, he disappeared quickly out the doors.

The stormtroopers followed, clearly intending to make sure he wasn't coming back.

When they were alone in the room, Luke looked up at his father, wondering what he was going to say. Maybe he should say something first. Anything he said might only make his father angrier, and he was already at the stage of making death threats.

Eventually, his father turned to him.

"Why aren't you at school?"

"Huh?" Luke said, surprised.

"School. It is not the weekend and you appear in good health. Why are you here?"

"It's the summer break," Luke said, relaxing. His father no longer sounded angry. "Didn't you read the school newsletter?"

"How long is this holiday?"

"Six weeks."

His father didn't reply for a good three breathing cycles. Luke smiled, looking at the floor.

"Six ... weeks," he repeated.

"Yes."

"And what are you planning to do with yourself for the next six weeks? Is this what I have to look forward to?" His father gestured at the broken rocket.

Luke frowned. "That's not fair. Okay, so I broke the window - it was an accident! I wasn't deliberately causing havoc. Besides, that rocket cost me my entire week's allowance. I should take it back and ask for a refund."

"Next time you break anything, come and tell me immediately. And if I am not here, tell one of the officers."

"Okay," Luke said.

"And the balcony is not an appropriate place to be playing with a remote controlled toy. What is wrong with the garden or a local park?"

"I tried in the garden, but I wanted to see how high it could go," Luke explained. "The sky barrier got in the way. And it's boring going to the park by myself. Ben is on some vacation planet with his father."

"When is he due to return?"

"Two weeks."

"This is sounding worse by the second," his father said, staring at the ceiling as if sensing a disturbance in the Force.

"Hey, I'm not that bad," Luke protested. "You won't even notice I'm home. Besides, it's only six weeks. Well, six and a half to be exact."

His father was walking towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" Luke asked.

"To meditate," his father said, sounding weary.

* * *

A long break from school was a relatively new experience for Luke. On Tatooine, school had always been arranged around the farming seasons. There had been no school during the harvest, but it certainly didn't feel like a holiday. Last year, his father had been away during most of his summer break, and he had gone on vacation with Ben and his father. They had invited him to join them this year, but Luke had decided he'd rather spend the time at home.

Today, two weeks after the start of his holiday, he was seriously beginning to regret that decision.

"It's not fair," he said, staring miserably at Artoo. He was sitting on an upturned crate in a hangar bay tech room, so his astromech droid was at eye-level. "He just doesn't understand."

Artoo whistled in agreement.

"We heard about the accident in the garden," Threepio said, walking forward to hand Luke a hydrospanner. Luke accepted it, and began to tighten the bolts on the droid he was building. "You have mine and Artoo's sympathy, Master Luke."

"See, even you can see it was an accident," Luke said, resorting to using the hydrospanner to punch holes in a piece of rusted metal. "He doesn't know the meaning of the word _accident_."

Beside him, Artoo made some comforting beeps.

"I say I'm sorry, but he just doesn't listen. He doesn't even know _how_ to listen."

"Your father is very ... irascible, Master Luke."

Luke stared at the ceiling, putting the spanner aside.

"He hasn't even finished yelling at me yet. He just walked off and said he needed to calm down. He's probably going to come down here any minute now and -"

Artoo's wheels suddenly whirred into life, and he began to reverse away.

"Master Luke, Artoo and I are needed down at the other end of the building," Threepio said, quickly. "Come along, Artoo."

"Wait!" Luke called. "I need your help -"

He broke off, realizing his droids had already gone.

Luke sighed, and stared at the half-built droid in front of him. "Some pals they are. At least _you_ can't run away." He tightened another bolt, getting an odd idea. He hadn't decided on what type of droid this was going to be, but Artoo and Threepio's hasty departure deserved a little playful revenge.

* * *

Vader raised his gloved hand and pressed the button for Luke's door-com. After a short wait, the doors slid open and Luke stepped out.

"Luke, we _need_ to talk."

His son only grinned in response. "I'm not Luke."

"Then who are you?" he asked, with a mixture of impatience and sarcasm.

He wasn't answered. Instead, another Luke stepped out of the room to join the first. Now there were two of them, identical in every way.

"_I'm_ Luke," the second one said. "This is my brother."

"You don't have a brother," Vader said, staring at the second 'Luke' in disbelief.

"I do now! They were doing free cloning at the university and I decided to try it out."

"What?! You _cloned_ yourself? Without my permission?"

More 'Lukes' began to join them in the corridor. They clustered around him, and began to talk loudly.

"Hi!"

"I'm bored!"

"I'm hungry!"

"Give me some attention!"

One of them reached up and tugged on his cape. "Are you my father?"

"No!" Vader said, shifting away. "Luke, how many clones are there?"

But his real son had disappeared, blending into the ever-growing crowd.

"Father!"

"I need attention!"

"No!" Vader said, feeling on the verge of panic.

He backed into the wall, then sat up quickly. The voices of the clones had disappeared, and now he could only hear his respirator, working overtime. His vision cleared, and he found himself surrounded by the white inner walls of his meditation chamber. No Lukes. No Luke, either.

Vader clenched his fists against the armrests, realizing he must have fallen asleep during his meditation. It was no surprise he was having nightmarish visions involving Luke. It had been one thing after another since this summer break horror had begun.

An hour ago, he'd been trying to read over the latest reports on Rebel fleet movements. The sound of something exploding put an end to that, and he had arrived in the garden only to find Luke surrounded by five stormtroopers, three security guards, the palace fire safety squad, and a hazardous waste disposal unit. In the center of all this was the burnt out remains of expired fuel cartridges. Apparently his son thought it could be fun to set them alight.

His fingers clenched tighter around the armrests at the memory. He'd come in here to try and calm down before facing Luke again, but it wasn't helping. He'd very nearly lost his temper in the garden, after Luke had proclaimed, in his best innocent voice, that it was just an accident.

Vader swiveled his chair to face his computer, deciding it was time he went and finished his earlier conversation with his son. The monitor was filled with a document he'd promised to present to Luke this morning. It was a list of all the mishaps his son had caused over the last two weeks - at least, all the ones he could remember off hand.

His eye browsed the list, making sure there was nothing he'd forgotten.

_breaking a window with a toy rocket_

_overloading a power socket for no good reason_

_blowing out four rooms' worth of lights_

_using a hover-board in the corridors_

_taking a speeder comlink apart_

_not putting it back together_

_giving stormtroopers ridiculous orders_

_laughing when they carried them out_

_setting off explosives in the garden_

_claiming that you didn't know they were explosives_

Vader reached up to finish it off, flinching slightly with the memory.

_claiming everything was 'just an accident'_

Vader pressed a button and collected a hardcopy printout. It was time to go and present his case to Luke. It would be difficult for his son to argue with the raw evidence right in front of him.

As he left the chamber and headed for the ship hangar, he silently hoped that Luke was actually down there doing something constructive, and not somewhere else causing more trouble. Although, being in the ship hangar wasn't any guarantee of not causing trouble, either, as this list was testament to.

He was trying to be patient with Luke, but it was growing more difficult by the day. Earlier in the week, he had taken his son to the medical center to get his wrist examined, after he'd careened into a wall on his hover-board. Doctor Leeson had suggested that Luke's behavior was simply the result of boredom and restlessness. It was something he could readily identify with. Faded memories from his youth told of a time when he felt much the same way. But hover-boarding in the Jedi temple had never even crossed his mind.

None of the doctor's advice had given him any idea of how to deal with this. Simply lecturing Luke wasn't helping. And he couldn't ground him, or take away his holovid access. That would only increase his son's boredom. Perhaps he should try assigning Luke a permanent stormtrooper babysitter. But that could be construed as a worse punishment for the unlucky stormtrooper.

When the elevator doors slid open, Vader walked across to Luke's favorite tech-room. Inside, he found his son sitting on an upturned crate, tinkering with a half-completed droid. He looked up at his entrance, and quickly stood up. His expression was apprehensive.

Vader didn't say anything. He simply presented the list. It was read quickly, and then put aside.

"I said I was sorry for all those things."

"If only your apologies meant you would not repeat the same behavior an hour later," Vader suggested.

Luke turned away, and began fidgeting with the tools on the bench. "I do try. Some things just seem like nothing could go wrong ..."

"Is that what you thought about the explosives?!" Vader enquired, stepping forward and placing a hand on Luke's shoulder. He turned his son back around so they were facing each other. "That _nothing_ could go wrong?"

"I told you they weren't explosives," Luke insisted, looking up with pleading blue eyes. "They were just expired fuel cartridges. I didn't know they were going to explode. I thought they'd just pop."

"I am not going to dignify that with a response," Vader said, annoyed.

Luke's shoulders slumped, and he dropped his gaze as if anticipating the start of another lecture. He'd certainly had enough of those over the past week. Vader was getting sick of delivering them as much as Luke was sick of hearing them.

"I am not here to reiterate the stupidity of playing with fire," Vader said, to Luke's visible relief. "I believe I made my point earlier."

Luke cringed at the reminder. "You didn't have to yell at me in front of everyone like that," he mumbled. "It was embarrassing."

"_You_ were embarassed? How do you think your behavior makes me feel?" Vader asked.

Luke sighed, heavily. "I didn't mean to make you angry," he said, sounding genuinely sorry.

Vader had to resist the urge to sigh himself. For all his son's expertise at being reckless, he was also equally good at being contrite. Despite himself, he spoke his next words in a slightly gentler tone.

"Son, I know it can be difficult to find ways to occupy yourself. However, I also know that you can do a lot better than the items on that list."

Luke nodded.

"I worry that you are going to hurt yourself far worse than a sprained wrist before this holiday is over."

"It's actually a lot better now," Luke said, rubbing it.

"I want you to understand my point of view. You may think I would prefer you to sit in your bedroom and not have any fun, but that is not the case. I want you to occupy your time constructively. I want you to be happy. But, most important of all, I want you to be safe."

"I know," Luke said, sounding touched. He looked up and met Vader's gaze once again. "Well, I have some good news. Ben came back tonight. He's coming over with a new holo-game tomorrow."

_Thank the Force_, Vader thought. Perhaps he could start employing Ben to keep his son out of trouble.

"Do you think you can avoid any accidents between now and then?" Vader enquired. "Or do I need to assign someone to watch you?"

Luke held up his hands. "I'm building a droid. See?"

Vader glanced at it. "What type of droid?"

"It's a secret ... I don't want Artoo and Threepio to know."

"You need to realign the maneuvering circuits," Vader said, gesturing at the shell.

"I know, but I got stuck. I was looking for some larger capacitors, but instead I found -" Luke paused.

"The fuel canisters?" Vader suggested.

Luke nodded, looking aside.

Vader walked over to the bench, and spread out the rough blueprints Luke had drawn up. He gestured for his son to join him. "Show me where you are having trouble."

"You're going to help me?!" Luke said, as he came to stand beside him.

"I do know a few things about building droids," Vader said.

"I know, but ... I thought we were ... you know, uh ... not on good terms."

"What?"

"Yesterday you said you were thinking about freezing me in carbonite for the rest of the summer."

"Is that really something you wish to remind me of?" Vader asked.

"This morning you said I was driving you to insanity."

"Perhaps, my son, I am simply more forgiving than you give me credit for," Vader suggested.

Luke stared at him for a moment, and then broke into a grin. "I'm stuck right here," he said, pointing at the center of a circuit diagram.

Vader was about to start discussing the droid, but something made him hesitate.

"Speaking of my sanity," he said, finally. "If any organization were to offer to clone you, please tell me you would say no."

* * *

Building the droid together turned out to be an excellent idea. Luke had stayed out of trouble for two days - something he hadn't managed to do since the start of this wretched summer break. Vader had even felt comfortable enough to spend a few hours at the Imperial Palace, having left Luke to finish off some soldering. It seemed these ideas about 'parental attention' and 'quality time' Luke's doctor was so fond of had some merit after all.

At the palace, he saw to a number of long overdue tasks, before seeking out an audience with the Emperor. Something was stirring in the Mathalar region ... something which required his attention.

The Emperor seemed almost amused when he entered the throne room.

"Lord Vader. I am surprised to see you, considering the circumstances. I understood your son had been causing some difficulties as of late."

Vader had to fight to avoid sighing as he came to a halt in front of the throne. Privacy seemed to be a non-existent concept in the Imperial Court.

"My duty to the Empire always comes first, Master. I understand we have a traitor in the Mathalar regional fleet."

"Captain Flenn," the Emperor agreed. "You wish to go and pay him a visit?"

"I suspect he will go into hiding as soon as I leave the capital," Vader said. "He already knows his tendency to 'lose' the ships in his care has been brought to my attention. He may have already disappeared."

"It is his family ties with the regional governor that have allowed him to avoid notice for so long," the Emperor said, leaning back in the throne. "I may have the governor executed, just to make an example to the rest of the Grand Moffs." He shook his head. "I can't abide people who get sentimental about their family."

"With your permission, I will send someone else to take care of Captain Flenn," Vader said, quickly trying to keep the conversation on track. "I will have him brought back alive, so I can interrogate him as to the whereabouts of our missing ships."

"Who do you propose to send?"

Vader considered it. A resourceful, yet traitorous officer like Captain Flenn required expert attention. Any regular Imperial field agent would likely make a mess of the situation. An independent for hire would be the best choice. As luck would have it, Boba Fett was supposedly on Coruscant, dealing with a former business associate of Jabba the Hutt.

On the other hand, inviting Fett over to meet with him while Luke was around wasn't a good idea. _Curse_ this never-ending summer break.

"I will give it some thought, Master."

"Very well. See to it, my friend."

Vader bowed and turned to leave, but the Emperor added an afterthought.

"And if you require any assistance in keeping your young offspring in line, I would be happy to take him off your hands for a few days." He raised his hands slightly. "Electrocution goes a long way towards teaching discipline and obedience."

Vader stared blankly for a few seconds, wondering how in the galaxy he was going to respond.

"Thank you for the offer, Master," Vader said, finally, hoping he sounded sincere. "I will give it ... due consideration."

The Emperor didn't add anything further, and Vader made a swift exit.

* * *

Luke found himself smiling as he carefully soldered a circuit into place. Building this droid had been thoroughly captivating, from poring over the hastily drawn blueprints to rummaging through one last container of spare droid parts. And, as an added bonus, he and his father had actually spent some time together which didn't involve him being in trouble. A miracle unto itself.

"There," Luke said, flicking the droid's access panel shut. "That's the last circuit. You're all finished now."

No response was forthcoming from the robot, and Luke frowned in annoyance. "Or maybe not ..."

"Perhaps you should try switching it on," a voice rumbled behind him.

"Oh, right!" Luke said, startled. He'd been so focused on this project, he had been unaware of his father's arrival. He did as his father suggested, and the barrel-like droid lit up, and began to whir.

"Greetings," it said. "I am REQ-Less-1, astromech-protocol hybrid automaton. If you need something repaired or translated, I can assist you."

"REQ-Less-1!?" Luke said, annoyed. "Reckless one?"

"I programmed in its name yesterday," his father explained, walking forward to stand beside Luke.

"Not funny! I'm going to fix that right now," Luke said, reaching for the access panel again. "By the way, don't let Artoo or Threepio see this droid yet. I need to introduce them slowly, or it might end up in pieces. Ben is coming over soon to see it, and I want it to still be here."

"Good timing. I have a reward for you - something you can share with your friend."

Luke instantly shot back up, all annoyance over the droid's name forgotten. "A reward? Why?"

"Because you have gone two days without having any 'accidents'."

"A reward for being good?" Luke said, smirking. "I haven't got one of those since I was six years old."

"You are too old for it, then?" his father asked.

"I didn't say that," Luke said, hastily. "What is it?"

His father handed him a datachip. Luke turned it over and read the description on the back.

"VIP double pass to Extreme Thrillzone, Imperial City's newest and most extreme amusement park!" Luke glanced up at his father. "Wow! Where did you get ...? Never mind! Thanks!"

Luke ran for the elevators, not bothering to look back.

* * *

Vader watched until Luke had disappeared, and then glanced at the droid. It had arms and a head much like Threepio's, but its body and wheels were modified astromech parts. It was currently twisting around in circles and waving its arms as if it didn't know what to do with them. Part of him was hoping to be here when Artoo and Threepio caught sight of it. The other part was annoyed that he'd find something so childish entertaining.

His holocom began to beep, shifting his attention away from the droid. It lit up with the image of an aide.

"Sir, we've managed to locate Boba Fett. He will be here within the hour."

"Good. Ensure security is informed of his pending arrival."

Vader switched it off, and walked out of the tech room. He was so busy thinking about what information Fett would need that he almost bumped into Luke. He glanced down, surprised to find his son had returned so soon. Hopefully he hadn't heard anything.

"Did you forget something?" Vader asked.

"I forgot to turn the droid off," Luke said, folding his arms.

Vader waved a hand in the direction of the room, and a clicking noise followed. "Done," Vader said. "Now make yourself scarce."

"Why?" Luke said, his voice dripping with suspicion. "Is someone coming to visit?"

"You should know better than to eavesdrop," Vader said, pointing at Luke's chest.

"You tricked me!"

"As much as I would like to hear your flawed reasoning as to why that is the case, I have matters of importance to attend to." Vader started to walk away, but Luke spoke again.

"I should have known you would never do anything nice without having an ulterior motive."

Vader glanced back at Luke, wondering why he was letting himself be dragged into this conversation.

"Luke, I require some privacy this afternoon. Now, I could have made you stay in your room with a databook, but I was kind enough to make other arrangements."

"So you bribed me to get rid of me and pretended it was a reward?" Luke tossed the datachip back. "Keep it. I'll just stay in here and work on the droid. Tell your guest I'm a technican." Luke turned and stomped off back into the workroom.

Vader stared briefly at the ceiling, wondering why these adolescent moods were so incomprehensible. A moment ago his son had been excited about the amusement park, and now he was throwing a childish tantrum. He walked after Luke, hoping the security guards were not watching this conversation.

"Luke, I will give you two choices. You can go to an amusement park with your friend, or you can spend the time in your bedroom with stormtroopers to guard you. Which would you prefer?"

"You're being completely unfair!" Luke protested.

"I do not recall that being one of the choices."

"I'm staying right here," Luke said, stubbornly. He sat down on the bench and folded his arms in a smaller reflection of Vader's posture.

"Are you _disobeying_ your father?" Vader asked, trying not to lose his patience.

"What kind of father tries to _bribe_ his son because he's so _ashamed_ that he doesn't want to let a guest see him?"

"Who said anything about being ashamed?" Vader said. "Now, you have five seconds to make your choice, or I will choose for you."

"You're going to force me to go to an amusement park?"

"That wasn't the choice I was going to make. And you have two seconds left."

Luke sat back further on the bench, and looked aside. Vader remained silent for a few breathing cycles, wondering why Luke always made things so difficult. Finally, he shifted into the doorway, and beckoned to a couple of stormtroopers guarding the elevators.

They ran over immediately, and he stood back to allow them to enter.

"Escort my son to his private room," Vader said, gesturing at Luke, "and guard the door. He is not allowed to leave until I come to release him."

"What?! Oh boy, this is low!" Luke protested, as the troopers came to stand on either side of him. "Even for you! The least you could have done was drag me there yourself!!"

Vader gestured for the troopers to leave. One made to grab Luke's arm, but Luke shook it off and trudged towards the door.

As he walked past, he paused and glanced up at Vader. "Um ... can I have those tickets back?"

"I would not want to offend your morality by offering you a bribe," Vader said, turning away.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

**Chapter 2**

* * *

It took a lot of whining, but Luke finally convinced the stormtroopers to guard him outside the door, rather than inside. Once he was the only occupant, he punched the pillow out of pure frustration. Here he was, locked up in his room like a prisoner ... and he hadn't done anything wrong! Who was this mysterious guest that could make his father so ashamed of him?

On the table beside his bed, his holocom began beeping. Luke picked up the projector and it lit up with a small image of Ben.

"I'll be there soon," he said. "Give me ten minutes."

Luke sighed. "I think we're going to have to postpone."

"Why? Is your father home? I don't mind, as long as I don't have to see him."

"He is home, but that's not the problem," Luke said. "The problem is the two stormtroopers outside my bedroom door."

Ben grinned. "What did you do?"

"Nothing! That's the worst part of it. I've been causing accidents all week, and he hasn't punished me at all ... we were even getting on well yesterday. Then today he comes into the tech room and tries to bribe me to get me out of here. He's got someone coming over."

"Who?"

Luke shrugged. "Someone important I suppose. Whoever it is, my father doesn't want them to see me." Luke dropped his gaze. "He's never acted like this before. He's never acted like he's ashamed of me."

"Maybe there's another reason," Ben suggested. "Maybe his guest is dangerous, and he doesn't want the guest to know you exist, in case it puts you in danger."

"Dangerous? You mean ... like a bounty hunter?" Luke's eyes were shining.

"Maybe."

"Meet me in the elevator hub," Luke said, suddenly.

"I thought you said there were stormtroopers."

Luke waved a hand. "I'll _deal_ with them. Just be here as fast as you can."

* * *

Vader was pacing up and down in the hangar bay conference room, thinking back over his conversation with Luke. Perhaps he could have handled it better. His son would not have been so uncooperative if he had known why he wanted to shelter him from this particular guest. But that was out of the question. Telling his son that a notorious bounty hunter was coming to visit would be like waving a red flag in front of a ronto.

He paced through a few more cycles, and then stretched out with the Force, making sure Luke was still safely in his bedroom. Next time, he would arrange to meet the bounty hunter somewhere else, and so avoid the problem of Luke altogether.

A P.A. appeared in the doorway.

"Sir, _Slave I_ has just docked on the north landing pad."

* * *

Luke had to smirk at Ben's disbelieving expression as he sauntered out of an elevator.

"Don't tell me," his friend said. "There are two stormtroopers chasing after you?"

"No," Luke said. "It will be a while before they realize I'm not in my room."

"So how did you get out? Window? Laundry shoot?"

"I figured out last week that if I overloaded one of the power sockets in my room, it would blow the lights in the neighboring storage room. They make a loud bang and sparks fly everywhere. So the stormtroopers went running off to see what was happening, then I sneaked out. Genius, huh?"

"If you say so," Ben said. He pointed towards an exit corridor. "Can we get out of here? Because I don't want to be around when your father finds out about this."

"Sure," Luke said, turning back to the elevators. "But I want to see the bounty hunter first."

"That would involve actually going to the place where your father is. How is that a good idea?"

"We'll be careful," Luke said, pressing a button to summon an elevator. "Come on, I _really_ want to see who my father didn't want me to meet. It might be someone even better than a bounty hunter!"

"Like a psychopath?" Ben suggested, with a touch of sarcasm.

"Come on, buddy," Luke said, dragging him into the nearest elevator.

* * *

"An Imperial officer," Fett said, studying the file.

Fett, as always, was a man of few words, but Vader could discern his meaning clearly. The bounty hunter was disappointed at the lack of challenge.

"A traitor. He has used his position to deliver ships into the hands of the Rebels. Their spies are also assisting him. He has the means to disappear should he suspect we are taking action against him. Do not underestimate his resourcefulness."

Fett nodded once.

"I want him alive," Vader continued. "However, if it should come down to a matter of losing him entirely or taking him dead, I would prefer dead."

"Alive it is," Fett said. "I will deliver him within two weeks."

* * *

They took the elevator to the floor above the hangar bay, and then Luke led Ben into a small guard station overlooking the bay. It was currently unoccupied, but the monitors were lit up with views from various security cameras.

"That must be his ship!" Luke said, pointing at the top one. "It's sitting out on the landing pad."

"So where is the crazed murderer, then?" Ben asked.

Luke rolled his eyes. "He must be already with my father. Come on, we can take the stairs down to the floor. Let's take a closer look at his ship."

"Your father might be down there!"

"He's not," Luke said. "He's in the conference room ... it's over there." Luke pointed acrossways.

"Those conference room windows overlook the hangar. Your father will see us."

"He's talking to someone important," Luke said. "He won't be staring out the window. He only does that when he's talking to someone boring."

Ben held up his hands. "Maybe you're willing to risk it but -"

"Are you scared?" Luke said, mockingly.

"Yes," Ben said, bluntly. "He may be your father, Luke, but I'm not going risk getting on his wrong side ... he'd kill me."

"I promise you, he won't see us," Luke said. "We'll sneak along the wall, then run to the landing pad ... it will just take a few seconds to look at the ship, then we can get out of here."

Ben sighed. "Okay. But this is a bad idea."

"Since when have you not been up for my bad ideas?" Luke asked. "Come on!"

They ran down the stairwell to the hangar floor, and then quickly shifted behind a stationary TIE Fighter. Luke looked up at the conference room windows, making sure no one was watching. Luke then shuffled along the wall, quickly moving from ship to ship, until both he and Ben were a few meters from the landing pad entrance.

"Okay," Luke whispered. "Now's our chance. Run for it."

"You go first," Ben said.

"Okay, but if I get over there and you haven't followed me -"

Ben gave him a push, and Luke fell out into the direct sight of anyone in the conference room. He sprinted for the landing pad, and then came to a halt in front of the boarding ramp. He glanced back and found Ben was right behind him.

"Did anyone see us?" Ben asked, nervously.

"No," Luke said. "I'd have heard about it by now."

They turned around to behold the bounty hunter's ship.

"Wow!" Luke said. He started forward, but Ben pulled him back.

"Luke, it's probably booby trapped!"

"If he cared that much, he wouldn't have left it unlocked," Luke said. "Come on, just a quick look around."

Luke crept up into the dark interior, and found himself flat up against a ladder. He looked up. "I guess that's the way to the cockpit."

"I think I found the cargo hold."

Luke walked towards Ben's voice, grinning at the fact that Ben had already explored further than him. The ship was very compact, but the cargo hold was spacious enough to hold a stack of crates. There were several here at the moment.

"What do you think is in these?" Luke said, running his fingers across the nearest one. He jumped when he heard a hiss, and looked around to see Ben had opened a storage compartment.

"Wow!" Ben said. "An arsenal!"

Luke moved over and his jaw fell open. There was every kind of weapon imaginable - some unimaginable.

Ben lost interest, and shifted past him to move further into the ship.

Luke was still amazed at the weapons. He was almost scared to breathe in case one of those huge blasters went off.

"Hey, Luke!" Ben called, sounding amused. "You have to see this."

Luke reluctantly closed the weapons locker, and followed Ben. "What?"

"In here!"

"In where?"

He stepped up beside Ben, and saw something which looked like an empty square cupboard. Luke stepped inside, looking around.

"There's nothing in here."

Suddenly, something rattled behind him, and he whirled around to find himself looking at Ben through a wall of bars. Ben was doubled up against the wall, shaking with laughter.

"Hey!" Luke said, gripping the bars and trying to shift them back.

Ben only laughed harder, causing Luke to frown in annoyance. "You are dead!"

He stopped rattling the bars for a moment, suddenly getting an odd premonition. Someone was coming.

"Ben ..." he said, suddenly serious.

Ben smirked. "What?"

"I think ... I think he's coming back."

His words were followed by the sound of loud footsteps drifting in from the distant hatch. The smile quickly faded from Ben's face, and his eyes grew wide. He jumped to his feet, and ran.

"No! Ben!" Luke said, panicking as he saw his friend leave. "Let me out!"

There was only silence, and Luke realized Ben had gone. He struggled to open the cage door one last time, before giving up in frustration. His friend had left him here to be discovered by some crazy person with weapons and cages in his ship. Boy, when his father found out about this ...

The thought made him feel sick. He sunk down against the wall, and rested his chin on his knees. This place was cold and dark, and it stunk like the last occupant had been a garbage pit racer.

After a few seconds had passed, Luke heard approaching footsteps.

_This is it_, he thought. _Better start preparing an explanation!_

But the person that came into view wasn't some scary bounty hunter, but a nervous looking Ben.

"I thought you left!" Luke said, jumping to his feet in surprise.

"Are you kidding? I just went to hide behind those crates," Ben explained. "I saw him! He came in and climbed up the ladder to the cockpit. If we go now, we can get out without being seen."

"Let me out, then!" Luke said, gripping the bars. He could feel his heart beating quickly.

"I'm trying," Ben said, pushing the buttons.

"Then why isn't anything happening?" Luke asked, struggling not to yell.

"Hang on, maybe it's this one," Ben said, pulling a lever.

Another row of bars slid into place, and Luke jumped back to avoid being squashed.

"No, that's not it," Ben said, pulling it back.

The second barrier didn't retract.

"Come on!" Luke said. "Hurry!"

The ship suddenly began to rumble, indicating the main engines were warming up.

"Ah, he's taking off!" Ben said, pushing buttons one after the other.

"Look, just run for it!" Luke said. "Get yourself out!"

"No! I'll get it, just -"

There was a hissing sound as the boarding ramp retracted.

Luke buried his head in his arms as he realized it was too late.

"Wait," Ben said, still concentrating on the controls. He pushed the lever down, then leaned his elbow on two buttons. Both doors slid open, and Luke ran forward gratefully.

But before he could reach Ben, he was thrown back against the far wall of the cell. The ship was rising into the air. Then it began to rotate, and they both fell over. Luke rolled around, and then lunged forward to steady himself against the doorframe. Ben had braced himself in a corner.

They didn't say anything for a good two minutes, as the momentum of the ship continued to throw them in one direction, then another. Finally, the gravity compensators kicked in, and Luke felt steady enough to stand up.

"We must be in space," Ben whispered. He looked like he was about to throw up.

"Don't worry," Luke insisted.

"What do you mean _don't worry_?" Ben said, standing up. "We're on a one way journey to the other side of the galaxy! I'm going to go up there and tell him to take us back."

"No, you can't!" Luke said. "He's a bounty hunter! Listen, I've got a plan. He'll have to stop sometime, somewhere. We'll hide down here until he does, and then sneak off the ship."

"What do we do then?" Ben asked.

"No problem," Luke said. "We'll catch a transport back to Coruscant. No one will find out about any of this."

Ben raised a skeptical eyebrow.

* * *

It was nearly an hour after Fett had departed when Vader suddenly remembered Luke. He had been planning to go and let the boy out of his room straight away, but between military updates and endless holocom calls, it had slipped his mind. Luke was going to be in a foul mood when he arrived, but that couldn't be helped. If he had just accepted the amusement park tickets instead of arguing, this wouldn't have been necessary.

When he arrived at their personal living area, he was relieved to see the stormtroopers still guarding Luke's bedroom. They straightened up as he approached, and he paused beside the one on the left.

"Were there any problems?"

"No, sir."

"Good."

Vader pressed the door release, and the doors slid open. He braced himself as he entered the room, knowing it was going to take some very careful words to smooth things over between him and his son. He expected to be met with some loud music or blaring holovid, but the room was pin-drop quiet. He glanced around, not seeing Luke anywhere. As soon as he stretched out with the Force, he knew for certain that Luke was not in the building.

He returned to the corridor, wondering if he should even bother to ask the troopers for some kind of explanation.

"Luke is not in his bedroom," Vader said, finally. "Where is he?"

The troopers glanced at each other, and the one of the right spoke.

"He was there earlier, sir."

"Did you leave your post?"

"Only for a moment ... there was a strange sound. But it wasn't long enough for him to -"

"Clearly, it was," Vader interrupted. "You are fortunate it was only Luke. If this was a real prisoner, I would execute both of you for such incompetence."

Vader didn't bother to listen to their apologies. He had more important work to see to. Luke was probably at his friend's place, or at the local park. When he came home, they would have to have another talk about exploiting stormtroopers.

* * *

Two hours into hyperspace, even Luke was starting to wonder if they were doomed. They were cramped in the cargo hold, and every rumble or click they heard made them jump. They both knew the bounty hunter could decide to come down here at any moment.

"Why does your father need a bounty hunter anyway?" Ben asked.

"I don't know," Luke said, tapping his fingers against one of the crates. "I doubt he would tell me if I asked."

The lid of the crate sprung open, revealing glittering contents. Luke leaned closer, and saw the entire thing was filled with precious jewels.

"He's _rich_," Ben observed.

"Maybe he's going to a banking world to cash all this," Luke suggested. "That's when we'll get off."

"I don't think he's going to stop, Luke," Ben said, sounding irritable. "Besides, if he did go to a bank, he'd come down here to pick up these crates and then he'd find us."

"You could be a little more optimistic," Luke said

"Yeah. Optimistic. When we're on a one way trip to the other side of the galaxy with a murderer!" Ben hit the wall in frustration. "Why did I have to listen to you and your crazy ideas?!"

"Me? I wasn't the one who locked me in that cell!" Luke countered. "If you hadn't done that, we both could have left the ship before he even took off."

"If you hadn't been so desperate to take a look in the first place, we wouldn't even be here," Ben said. "Stars, I'm going to be in so much trouble if my Dad finds out about this."

"Your Dad? Is that all you're worried about?" Luke said. "Have you seen _my_ father by any chance?!"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better!?"

Luke was about to reply, when a clicking noise echoed in the adjacent tunnel. Both of them jumped up and dived behind the crates.

"Now look, he's heard you!" Ben whispered.

"Shut up!"

They pressed themselves flat against the deck plates, hardly daring to breathe. After a minute had passed, with no further sounds, Luke glanced over the crates. There was nothing but an empty tunnel past the cargo hold.

"False alarm," Luke said, standing up.

Ben stood up beside him, somewhat more cautiously.

"Are you sure?" Ben said, peering into the darkness.

"Of course." Luke started to step over the crates, but Ben pulled him back.

Luke glanced up in annoyance, and found himself looking straight into a blaster barrel.

"AHH!!"

The person on the other end of the weapon stepped out of the shadows. There was no mistaking him for anything except a bounty hunter. He was completely hidden behind a t-visored mask and armored shell. Various braids and scalps hung off him, trophies of past kills.

"Don't shoot us!!" Ben said, putting up his hands. Luke followed suit.

The bounty hunter didn't lower his blaster.

"Who are you?!"

His voice was filtered through the helmet, giving it an electronic edge.

Luke shared a look with Ben.

"Um, I'm B-Ben," Ben mumbled. His hands were shaking in the air.

"And you?" the hunter said, gesturing at Luke with his blaster.

"Luke."

"How did you get here?"

"It was an accident," Luke said, quickly.

"A really big accident," Ben added.

"If you'll just let us off, we'll be right on our way," Luke said.

"Any fuel station will be fine," Ben said. "We need to catch a ride back to Coruscant."

At this point, the bounty hunter had lowered his blaster slightly, seeming to realize they were harmless. "You boarded my ship on Coruscant? Where?"

Ben nodded immediately, dropping his hands. "Luke is Lord Vader's son."

"Ben!" Luke glanced at his friend in annoyance. That information was on a need-to-know basis.

"His _what_?" The helmet turned back to Luke. "Since when did Lord Vader have a son?"

"Since about fourteen years ago," Luke said, resigned.

"Hmmm. If you're telling the truth, then be thankful that you are his son," the bounty hunter said. "If you had been anyone else I might have sold you both to the hutts as slaves."

"You mean you'll let us go?" Luke asked.

The bounty hunter finally holstered his blaster, and inclined his helmet in the direction of the cockpit. "Come with me."

* * *

Vader was catching up on some lightsaber practice when he saw a P.A. enter the room. The officer waited until he had finished off his current droid opponent, and then came forward to report.

"Sir, I apologize for interrupting you. Ben's father called half an hour ago, wondering if Ben was here, as he hasn't been able to get any response from Ben's comlink. I have been unable make contact with Luke, either."

Vader glanced at the clock. It was getting on in the afternoon, but still a fair while until Luke's curfew.

"Tell him to check the local parks," Vader said, moving over to activate another droid. His earlier disagreement with Luke explained why he didn't have his comlink switched on, but that was none of the officer's business.

"Yes, sir."

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

**Chapter 3**

* * *

On the way up the cockpit ladder, Luke tried to make conversation.

"I like your ship."

There was no reply. At the top, their host gestured at the passenger seat. Seeing as there were two of them, and only one seat, Ben sat cross-legged on the top, while Luke took the floor in front. The streaking beams of light out the window indicated they were still in hyperspace.

The bounty hunter sat down in the pilot's seat, and started pressing buttons.

"What's your name?" Luke asked, deciding to make another attempt.

The hunter didn't spare him a glance. He pulled a lever, and the ship shuddered.

"Boba Fett," he said, finally.

"Wow," Ben said. "I've heard of you. Is it true you captured Bikayus, the Wookiee pirate?"

"A few hours ago you were saying he was a crazy murderer," Luke said.

"I never said that."

"Yes, you did."

"Shut up," Fett said, losing his cool. "Brace yourselves."

They were coming out of hyperspace. Luke gripped the seat tightly, feeling the deceleration pushing against his body. This ship's gravity compensators really needed fine-tuning, but he doubted Fett would let him start making repairs. Once the ship had reverted to sub-light, he rose up on his knees to take a look out the window. They were seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

"Is there a spaceport around here?" Luke asked. "Where you can drop us off?"

"I'm not dropping you at a spaceport, kid. Your father would not be impressed."

"So," Ben said, carefully. "What are you going to do?"

"First," he said, pressing some buttons. "I'm going to call his Sith-Lordship and tell him where his son and his son's sidekick are."

"What?!" Luke said. "No, you can't!"

Fett turned to regard him through his t-visored helmet. "Why?"

"Because he'll kill me!" Luke said. "Please, if you just let us off, he won't find out this even happened!"

"What if he's looking for you right now?"

"He won't be," Luke said. "There's still time before my curfew."

"We're two and a half hours from Coruscant," Fett said. "Do you think he won't be looking for you by then?"

Luke looked aside, knowing the hunter had a point.

"I'll figure out some story," he said. "I'll say we got lost or something."

"I'm going to lose five hours of time and fuel taking you back to Coruscant," Fett said. "Who's going to pay for it, if not your father?"

"You can afford it," Ben said. "We saw all your jewels in the cargo hold."

"This isn't a charity."

"Pleeeeeease!" Luke said.

"Oh, that's just pathetic." Fett was starting to enter the holocom frequency into the computer.

"Don't you remember what it's like to be young?" Ben suggested.

Fett paused and turned back to them.

"When I was your age, I was surviving on my own. I didn't have anyone to lecture me if I did something wrong. There was no one to worry about me if I was in danger, or if I didn't come home on time. Maybe you should start appreciating your parents instead of causing them grief."

Luke fell silent, unable to think of a reply.

* * *

Vader was on his final dueling droid when the P.A. returned. He used the Force to disable the droid temporarily, and turned to the officer in annoyance.

"What now?"

"Sir, Boba Fett wishes to speak with you. He says it's important." The lieutenant was holding a holo-projector.

Vader let out a weary breath. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. He strode across the room, and switched off the lightsaber. An image of Fett appeared as he accepted the projector, clearly in the cockpit of his ship.

"What is it?" Vader asked.

"Lord Vader. Are you missing something, by any chance?"

"Yes," Vader said. "My patience. So I suggest you get to the point quickly."

"I picked up a couple of stowaways while I was meeting with you."

"Stowaways?" Vader said, not comprehending.

"A couple of boys. Luke and Ben. Do you know them?"

Vader breathed for a few cycles, letting the hunter's words sink in. He couldn't even bring himself to actually feel surprised that his son had done something so completely and utterly stupid. He must be hours away by now ... stars, he could have been hurt!

"I am familiar with them," Vader said, finally.

"We're on our way back right now," Fett explained. "Should be a couple of hours away. That is ... if you actually want these kids back? Seems like one of them might be more trouble than he's worth."

"That depends on what compensation you will require for your inconvenience, hunter," Vader said, dryly.

"I'll leave that to your generosity."

Fett cut the call, leaving Vader staring at a blank projector. He looked up, meeting the lieutenant's gaze. He wisely said nothing.

"Contact Ben's father," Vader said, finally. "I suppose he will have to know about this. Tell him Fett should return in two hours, and he is welcome to come here and pick Ben up."

"I will do so immediately, sir."

The P.A. left him alone, and Vader turned back to his immobile dueling droid. He could switch it back on, but why bother when he could chop it to pieces right where it stood. The latter felt strangely satisfying.

* * *

"So how angry did he seem?" Luke asked, when Fett turned off the comm.

"You heard him."

"Yes, but I have to see him to know how angry he is," Luke said. "Was he doing that thing where he clenches his fingers together?" Luke demonstrated.

"I didn't notice."

"Okay, did he have his head on _this_ angle?" Luke tilted his head forward.

Fett didn't even look. Luke glanced up at Ben, who was dozing against the seat. They had reentered hyperspace, and had a good two hours before reaching Coruscant.

Luke tried to rest, but he couldn't relax with the thought of what awaited him back home.

"So how long have you been a bounty hunter?" Luke asked.

"Do you ever stop talking?"

Luke took the hint. He glanced around for something to do, and then spied a control panel. He was just reaching up to finger the buttons, when Fett leaned over and grabbed his wrist.

"If you touch anything, I'll lock you up in the cargo hold."

"What's that?" Luke said, pointing at a device attached to the underside of Fett's arm.

He quickly released Luke's wrist. "Don't touch it. Just sit still and shut up."

Luke rested his head against the front of the seat, deciding to try sleeping like Ben. It was hard, when the ship was full of noises. There was the dull hum of the engines and the beeps and clicks of the readouts. The bounty hunter's armor made clicking noises as he shifted in his seat, as if there were many hidden gadgets. Luke opened his eyes, trying to see if he could spot anything interesting.

"Why did my father want to see you?" Luke asked, finally. He'd been silent for a few minutes - that was enough.

Fett glanced at him. "To see if I'd be willing to sell you on the blackmarket."

"Sure," Luke said, raising a disbelieving eyebrow. "I'm not naïve. I know what a bounty hunter does."

Luke wondered if his father wanted someone killed or just captured. He was about to ask, but then he thought better of it. Sometimes it was better not to know when it came to his father.

"How long have you known my father?" Luke asked.

"Long time." Fett leaned back, folding his arms behind his helmet. "Used to bump into him when he was hunting down Jedi. Those were the days. I wish there were still Jedi around to hunt."

"He was once a Jedi," Luke pointed out. "But he never talks about anything before he became a Sith."

"If I was once a Jedi, I wouldn't want to talk about it, either," Fett said, shortly.

He sounded pretty bitter. Luke decided to leave the subject alone.

* * *

Despite their sons' friendship, Vader had never had an opportunity to meet with Ben's father. He had probably passed him hundreds of times in the Imperial palace, but that was not the time or the place to strike up a conversation.

He had often wondered how the man felt about his son's friendship with Luke. This was far from the first time Luke had led himself and his friend into a dangerous situation. If Luke became acquainted with someone who was always leading him astray, Vader doubted he would have any patience for it. But from what Luke had said, Ben's father was nothing but kind to him. Even before he had known of his heritage.

By Vader's estimate, there wasn't long to go before Fett should arrive. He was standing in the hangar bay conference room, staring through the viewing windows and waiting for any sense of his son's arrival. A droid entered the room, and stood to one side of the door.

"Captain Jarnet is here, sir."

Ben's father entered the room, and the droid left them alone. Vader turned to regard his guest. He'd obviously come straight from the palace, as he was still dressed in his guard uniform. His helmet was resting under his arm. Vader could see a few physical similarities between he and Ben, not surprisingly.

"Sir," he said, in greeting. "Has there been any further news?"

"Not since I received the initial call," Vader said, sensing the man's parental worry. "I do trust this bounty hunter to return the boys safely. It is not in his best interests to displease me."

"It's fortunate for Ben that he is in Luke's company," his guest replied, putting his helmet on the table.

"If he wasn't, I doubt he would ever have considered boarding the ship in the first place," Vader said. "I fully accept that this incident is entirely Luke's fault. He has been behaving recklessly for the last two weeks."

"Luke has a very adventurous spirit," Ben's father offered.

"That is an overly optimistic way of describing it," Vader said, unable to keep the weariness from his voice.

"His heart is in the right place," Ben's father continued, grasping the back of a chair. "He needs someone level-headed to keep him from going too far. Instead, Ben encourages him. I keep telling him to start taking some responsibility, but ... it's just so hard to make them listen at that age."

"It is impossible, in Luke's case. He takes every attempt I make to provide some guidance as a personal insult."

Ben's father shook his head. "And to think this summer break isn't even half over. At times like this, I wish I had enrolled Ben in military camp and taken an extended vacation."

"Military camp?" Vader repeated, his interest piqued.

"The young cadet training school runs the camp every year," he explained. "Unfortunately, they closed enrollments two weeks ago."

Vader wondered why he had never spoken to this man before. He was obviously some kind of master in the realm of parenting. He would have to be, to think of such a perfect solution to all his problems. Luke would be in a supervised environment. There would be plenty for him to learn and do, and he would be with lots of people his own age. No more disasters. No more embarrassing incidents such as this.

"I will ask them to reopen them," Vader said, thinking quickly.

"Well, sir, if you have any luck convincing Luke to go, please tell me your secret. Ben hears the word 'military' and chains himself to his bedpost."

"Luke will not require convincing," Vader said, walking towards the door. He had some arrangements to make. "I will return shortly."

* * *

Coruscant loomed large in the ship_'s_ viewport when Ben finally woke up. He took one look at the planet and slumped back against the seat.

"Can't we go back into hyperspace again?"

"Don't worry," Luke said, looking up and rubbing his eyes. "It won't be so bad. It'll be me he'll be angry with, not you."

"What if he told my father about this?"

"Then I'll apologize to him and say it was all my fault," Luke said. "That should help. Actually, that's my entire plan. We leave the ship ... then I'll start groveling for forgiveness."

"Good plan. I'll help you."

"You want some advice?" Fett said, flying the ship down into the buildings.

Luke looked up, eagerly.

"Agree with everything they say. If they say you're crazy, just say 'I know'. If they ask you what you were thinking, say you weren't thinking. You were just being stupid. Tell them what they want to hear."

"If I tried that on my father, he'd tell me to stop patronizing him," Ben said.

"It might work," Luke said, thinking carefully. "It's just a matter of sounding like you really mean it ..."

"Maybe they'll be so happy to see you back, safe and sound, they won't be angry at all."

Both Luke and Ben started laughing.

* * *

Vader was waiting with Ben's father in the ship hangar, when _Slave I_ came in to land. Relief was his first reaction, reflected in the man beside him.

"I will take Ben home immediately, sir," he said. "Unless you would like to speak with him first."

Vader almost smiled at the idea. Ben just about fainted when he spoke to him under normal circumstances.

"No, it would be best if I spoke with Luke alone," Vader said. "We have much to discuss."

The boarding ramp extended, and Vader saw Fett was leaving the ship unaccompanied. For a brief, horrible second he thought something had happened. But no - Luke and Ben were there. They were just taking their time.

When they finally made it to the hangar bay floor, Ben's father went over immediately, and grabbed Ben in an embrace. Luke hovered to one side, awkwardly. Vader looked at him, but his son wouldn't meet his gaze. He appeared none the worse for wear, at least.

Vader turned to Fett.

"I take it you were not talked to death on your journey back."

"I have endured worse."

Ben's father approached them, having one arm firmly around his son's shoulders, preventing him from going anywhere, lest he have any ideas.

"Thank you for bringing my son back," he said to Fett. "I'm sorry for your inconvenience."

The hunter nodded once. Ben's father turned to Vader.

"I'll take my son home now, sir."

Vader nodded. As Ben's father walked away, Luke ran to catch up with them. Vader could only hope he was offering some apologies. He turned back to Fett once they were alone.

"You also have my gratitude," Vader said. "Send me an invoice for the costs you incurred."

Fett waved a hand, walking back to his ship.

"Don't worry about it."

* * *

Luke had withdrawn to his closet after saying goodbye to Ben. His friend's father hadn't seemed too angry. Far less than he expected his own father to be. Hence the closet. Not that he really thought he could hide from his father, due to the ever-annoying Force powers, but at least being in here meant he didn't have to resist the urge to roll his eyes while receiving the inevitable lecture.

It wasn't long before he heard the approaching footsteps. When he heard the bedroom doors hiss open, he shuffled back a bit further. Maybe he should take Fett's advice and just agree with absolutely everything ...

He heard his father walk over to stand in front of the closet, and then the door slid back into the wall. Normally a rush of light would fill the small space, but his father blocked out the overhead lights, almost giving the impression the door was still closed.

"Luke?! What are you doing?"

"Uh ... meditating?" Luke suggested.

"Come here!"

"Are you sure you don't need to calm down first?" Luke asked. "Because I can wait."

"If you are not standing in front of me in five seconds, I will -"

"Drag me out using the Force," Luke sighed, as he shuffled forward. When he came out into the light, his father reached out to pull him closer, holding him by the shoulders.

"I am glad to have you back in one piece," he said. "But if you are expecting a hug, you will be disappointed."

"Don't worry," Luke mumbled. "I wasn't expecting one."

His father then gestured at the bed. "Sit down."

Luke sighed as he walked over to oblige. He didn't even need to look up to know his father had started pacing. Any second now he was going to start asking him questions in his 'interrogation' voice.

"Why did you board his ship?"

_Why does he do this?_ Luke thought. _I've heard this so many times, I can lecture myself._

"Because he's a bounty hunter," Luke explained out loud. "I wanted to see what was inside. Besides, if you hadn't tried to hide him from me, I wouldn't have been so curious."

"I knew this would be my fault at some point," his father said, stopping mid-pace to point at him. "Just like hover-boarding in the corridors was my fault because I wouldn't let you hover-board in the ship hangar."

"It was an accident," Luke said. "I didn't know he was going to come back and take off."

"In the same way you didn't know those fuel canisters would explode."

"Must you keep dredging up the past?" Luke asked.

"We are talking about three days ago, Son. We cannot consider this incident without also considering the reckless and irresponsible way you have behaved for the last two weeks."

Luke rolled his eyes.

That turned out to be a bad idea, as his father stopped pacing and paused in front of him.

"I suggest you wipe that expression off your face and start paying attention, young one."

Luke felt suddenly angry. As if this lecture wasn't bad enough, being addressed like a naughty child was the final straw.

"You're such a hypocrite," Luke mumbled.

"This is not the time to insult me!"

"Well it's true," Luke said, standing up. It didn't make much difference in terms of their height variation, but at least if he was on his feet he could make a quick getaway. "You're paying a bounty hunter to kill someone, yet you harp on at me about boarding his ship. You're always acting like I'm so terrible, I'm so reckless ... well that's nothing compared to what you get up to."

"What I get up to," his father repeated. "You must be referring to my life's work to provide you and everyone else with a safe, secure, peaceful galaxy to live in. How good to know you appreciate it."

Luke was silent, subdued.

"However you may feel about my activities," his father continued, "they are not your responsibility. However, _you_ are _my_ responsibility. It is my job, as your father, to guide you to adulthood. I want you to join me in ruling the Empire one day. If this reckless behavior continues, you may not even reach your twentieth birthday."

"I have heard this before," Luke sighed.

There was a moment of silence, and then his father spoke in a quieter tone.

"Son, you are a natural leader. Something you have inherited from your mother and me. You should be using that ability for the betterment of the galaxy. Instead you lead your friend into danger without a second thought."

"How many times do I have to say that it was an accident?" Luke said, his voice breaking. His father's words hurt. He did feel terrible about dragging Ben into this.

"There have been too many accidents. This cannot continue." His father paused for a moment. "Staying here is clearly not providing you with enough mental stimulation. I have made some other arrangements."

"Other arrangements?" Luke said, confused.

"The Imperial cadet training school offers a summer program on the sixth moon of Kawai. You can stay there. You will be with other young people, and you can learn personal discipline and valuable practical skills."

"You're kidding," Luke said, flatly.

"No. You are leaving tomorrow - I will expect you to be packed."

"You're going to kick me out?!" Luke said, feeling close to tears.

"If you wish to wallow in self-pity, and convince yourself that I am doing this to spite you, be my guest. But if you are wise, you will acknowledge the truth. I am doing this because I believe it will help you."

"I don't need any _help_."

"What do you need, then? I am open to your input."

"I want to stay here," Luke said.

"I asked what you needed, not what you wanted."

"Can't you give me another chance?" Luke said, suddenly. "Please! I wouldn't even have left my room if I'd known you were going to send me off to boringville."

"I shudder to think what 'accident' you will have next if I give you another chance."

"There won't be any more."

"You assured me of that two days ago."

"Come on ... _please_?"

His father didn't reply. He simply stared at him with his deep, blank gaze. It made Luke angry, and he turned away and stomped off toward the refresher.

"Fine! I don't care! I'll leave tomorrow. At least I won't have to put up with you and your hypocritical lectures!"

With that, he shut and locked the door.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Luke hadn't planned on getting out of bed the next morning. Only when the door-comm had been beeping incessantly for a good five minutes did he finally drag his head from the pillow. He knew it wasn't his father. In the rare instance that his Sith Lordship actually bothered to use the comm, he would only use it once and then come barging on in.

He opened the doors and found Lev waiting on the other side.

"Good morning, Luke. Do you need any help packing?"

"He sent you to help me pack?" Luke asked, folding his arms.

"No. He sent me to tell you that you're leaving in thirty minutes whether you are ready or not. He also told me to organize stormtroopers to drag you down to the hangar bay, if necessary."

Luke sighed heavily, and then returned to his bed. He lay down flat on his stomach and dragged the pillow over his head. Lev followed him, and pulled up the blinds on the window, flooding the room with light.

"Is there a bag you can take?" Lev asked.

Luke half-heartedly pointed in the direction of the closet. He heard Lev retrieving it and walking over to his dresser.

"Which one is your underwear drawer?"

Luke groaned, and hastily stood up. "Forget it, I'll do it." He banged around the room, filling the bag with spare clothes and bathroom items, and finally with a few personal objects from his bedside table. When he was done, he tossed the bag aside and sat down on his bed.

"Are you feeling all right?" Lev asked, joining him.

Luke didn't reply.

"It won't be as bad as you think," Lev said. "You'll enjoy it once you're there. I loved summer camp when I was your age. We used to go swimming, and learn tracking skills, and ... I remember this one night where we -"

"It's not fair," Luke said, quietly. "I can't believe he's doing this to me."

Lev smiled. "I hate to say it, Luke, but you really had this coming. There was a bet going on in the intelligence department that -"

"So you're on _his_ side?" Luke said, annoyed. "I don't believe it!"

"I'm not on anybody's side. But I do understand why your father thinks this is a good idea."

"All I did was take a look around a bounty hunter's ship," Luke said. "It was an accident! I didn't know he was going to take off while Ben and I were still aboard."

"And there was that incident with that admiral's speeder."

"I didn't know it was his!"

"And remember when you got stuck on the roof?"

"I _wasn't_ stuck ... I kept telling him I could have climbed down without any help. But he never listens! Besides, I said I was sorry for all those things. Where's the forgiveness?"

"Your father is not well known for his forgiveness. But I don't think he's angry with you. He just feels you could use a break from Coruscant. You need to go where your adventurous streak can flourish in a supervised environment."

"At _military_ camp?! There'll be ten thousand rules. I'll have to wear some silly uniform. I'm supposed to be on vacation!" Luke buried his head in his hands. Several moments passed in silence, before he spoke again. "Do you think he'll let me come home if I'm really miserable there?"

"Give him a few days," Lev said, standing up. "The bounty hunter incident will fade from his mind. Maybe get down on your knees and grovel a bit ... you can say I have already offered to come and pick you up if it would help. Besides, you'll have the whole journey to try and talk him out of it."

"I can hardly wait," Luke sighed.

* * *

There was an awkward silence in the cockpit, which had been hanging in the air ever since they'd left Coruscant. Saying goodbye to Artoo and Threepio had only put Luke in a worse mood, and not even the thrill of the hyperspace jump could stir him out of the dumps. He rested his chin on his arms and leaned forward to stare out the window.

Soon he realized he had no idea how long this journey would take. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"Where are we going again?"

His father stirred slightly, as if he'd been thinking deeply about something else.

"The sixth moon of Kawai," he said, eventually. "We will be there in about an hour."

"So you're going to dump me on some deserted moon?"

His father turned and gave him a look with a slightly creepy feel. "Don't tempt me."

Luke frowned harder, and indulged in angry thoughts about his father. He didn't even act like his father ... a proper father wouldn't do this. Stars, even Uncle Owen would never have done this.

"I wish I was still living with my aunt and uncle," Luke said, just loud enough for his father to hear.

There was no reply.

"They would never have made me leave," Luke said, quieter.

His father reached up to tune in a monitor to a HoloNet news channel. It started blaring about some pirate incident along a shipping route.

Luke paused for a moment, and then added, "I wonder what my mother would think of this."

His father finally snapped. "_Luke!_"

Luke leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. "What?"

His father started to reach over to grab him, but Luke hastily stood up so the co-pilot's seat was between himself and his father. He eyed his father warily, but he didn't stand up. Instead, he turned back to the controls.

"Your puerile attempts to bait me are only further convincing me of the necessity of this. I have already explained to you why I think this is best for you. If you wish to resent me, that is your prerogative, but you will do it elsewhere. Go and wait in the passenger lounge."

"I was going there anyway," Luke said. "I'm not speaking to you."

"If only," his father said, turning up the volume on the HoloNet news.

Luke made a noise of frustration as he walked off. He was running out of names to call his father under his breath.

* * *

Vader didn't bother to call Luke when they landed. It was quite possible he'd have to physically drag Luke off the ship, but before that display he'd prefer to discuss the situation with the waiting officer. The man's expression was a mixture of fear and awe as Vader walked down the boarding ramp and came to a halt in front of him.

"Welcome to Kawai VI, Lord Vader," the officer said, offering a military bow. "I am Commander Hayge, overseer of the young cadet training camp."

"Commander," Vader said. "I am entrusting you with someone of infinite value to me. I will return in four weeks to collect him. If, at that time, he is damaged in any way, or worse - _missing_, I will personally execute every officer responsible for watching him. Starting with you. Am I clear?"

The commander had an expression as if he heard the same speech on a daily basis. "Your son will be in professional hands, I assure you, sir."

"You have my permission to treat him as you do any other child in your care. Especially in matters of discipline." Vader considered it for a moment, wondering if he should enquire as to how they dealt with wayward cadets before resigning Luke to that fate. Perhaps it was better that he didn't know, lest he lose his resolve and return to Coruscant with Luke still in tow.

"Within reason," Vader added, finally.

"Sir, I am sure your son will be a pleasure to have among us," the commander said, sounding like he was trying to reassure him without making it obvious. "But should there be any problem, I will consult with you. We have full-range communication equipment at the camp, and can be reached at any time, day or night."

"Very well."

There was a noise at the top of the ramp, and Vader glanced up to find Luke emerging, dragging his luggage behind him.

"This is my son," he said, turning back to the commander, who was staring at Luke in surprise. He was obviously not quite what he expected. "His name is Luke Skywalker. From now until I return, he is in your hands."

"Yes, sir."

Luke stepped off the side of the ramp, and turned away. Vader was tempted just to leave without saying goodbye, but he didn't want to leave Luke thinking he didn't care. His son may be in a foul mood at the moment, but he might start to feel homesick tonight. The commander had walked a short distance away, obviously sensing they might need a moment of privacy.

Vader reached out to touch Luke's shoulder, but his hand was shrugged off immediately.

"Goodbye, Son."

Luke glanced at him with a sour expression, and again looked away.

"I will see you in four weeks time."

Luke mumbled something unintelligible. It almost sounded like goodbye, but it could just as easily have been another mumbled insult. Vader chose to believe the former. He didn't look back as he entered the ship.

* * *

The first thing Luke noticed about this strange new planet was the air. It smelt so clean and fresh, it was a pleasure to breathe it. The landing pad he was standing on rose above a forest that stretched as far as he could see. The only sounds were gentle bird calls, and the distant trickle of running water.

He looked up at the officer his father had left him with, and could tell instantly that he didn't like him. The man gave him a look that said something like 'not another spoiled Coruscant brat'. Luke gave him a look that he hoped said 'not another snobby Imperial officer'.

Finally, the officer looked aside.

"Follow me, Cadet Skywalker. I'll take you to our campsite."

"Cadet?" Luke enquired.

"Yes. While you are staying with us, you will temporarily assume the rank of cadet."

"Oh ... what rank are you?"

"Commander. Commander Hayge"

"Do I have to wear a uniform?"

"Yes. I have everything you'll need in the speeder."

They had walked across the landing pad, and out the other side, where a speeder sat waiting. It was a standard Imperial issue speeder, but appeared adapted for rough terrain use. Sure enough, there was a zipped up bag in the back seat. Once Luke had climbed in, he leaned over to see what was inside it. Several light-gray colored uniforms, a sleeping bag, a heating lamp, a high voltage flashlight, a utility belt ...

"Is this all for me?"

"Yes. Just some basic supplies you'll need."

Luke sat forward again, interested to see where they were going now. The speeder rose above the pad, and accelerated towards the horizon.

Nothing was said for a long while, and Luke rested his head against the window, thinking about what lay ahead. Four weeks without his droids and ships to tinker with ... four weeks without his holovid and gamebox. This was the worst vacation ever.

"So," the commander said, eventually, "your father must have big plans for your future."

Luke didn't reply. They were flying over some forest-covered hills, which spread out in all directions.

"Many of our cadets go on to prestigious officer training academies. Is that your eventual goal, too?"

"My goal is to survive this stupid camp and go back home as soon as possible," Luke said, shortly.

"You have no interest in joining the military?"

"If you're wondering why my father left me here, it's because he can't tell the difference between an accident and deliberately causing havoc," Luke explained.

"I think I understand."

Luke was grateful he didn't pry further. Maybe he wasn't so bad ... he hadn't insisted he call him sir. Not yet, anyway.

"So what are your own plans for your life?" the commander enquired.

Luke sighed. "I don't have any."

"Really? You're the first cadet I've had here who has not."

Luke frowned. "My father, who I've only known for two years is ... well, you know who he is. The Emperor thinks I'm a threat to him - don't ask me why. I know he'd prefer it if I didn't exist, and my father has been acting the same way since yesterday. I don't want to think about what's going to happen in the future. I take life one day at a time."

The commander glanced at him, and this time there was a different expression in his eyes. It almost seemed like ... pity.

"It sounds like you find Coruscant quite stressful."

Luke nodded, resting his head on his hand.

"Perhaps you should think of this as an opportunity for some time away."

The speeder rose up over a ridge, and the campsite appeared in the distance. It was near a sparkling blue lake, and a creek ran though the middle. Tents were arranged haphazardly about, and Luke could see cadets kicking a ball around a nearby field. It was like a park on Coruscant, except a hundred times larger.

"It is pretty," Luke admitted.

The commander brought the speeder down to land next to another line of parked speeders, at the top end of the campsite, next to the administrative buildings.

"Lights out at twenty-two-hundred, rise and shine by oh-seven-hundred at the latest. During free time, you can roam as long as the flag is still within sight." The commander gestured over at a flagpole. Luke climbed out of a speeder, and tilted his head up until he saw a waving Imperial flag. It was black with a white Imperial logo.

"Bring the bag, and I'll find you a tent-mate," the commander said, looking around.

Luke picked up his luggage, and followed the commander around the front side of the administration building. A cadet was walking down the stairs, looking dejected. His hands were in his pockets, and he was staring at the ground. He snapped to attention when the commander called his name.

"Cadet Veers."

"Yes, sir?"

"You are currently occupying a tent by yourself, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

The commander gestured towards Luke. "This is Luke Skywalker - he's just come to join us. He'll be your new tent-mate. Show him where everything is, and introduce him to the others. He'll be joining your team."

The other cadet saluted. "Yes, sir."

The commander nodded goodbye to Luke, and then strode off in the direction of one of the buildings. Luke looked to his new companion, who glanced at him briefly, then looked away.

"I'll show you where the tent is," he said, in a polite, yet distant tone.

"Okay," Luke said. "Thanks, uh ...?"

"Call me Zev."

Zev led him across the grass toward a bridge, which crossed the creek that ran through the center of the camping ground. There were a few other cadets roaming around, and they stared at Luke with interest. Zev eventually stopped beside a tent that was in the shade of a sprawling tree, and slightly set apart from the others. He unzipped the front and ducked down to enter inside.

"I'll just shift all my things to one side," he called. "Won't be a second."

"Sorry to invade your space," Luke said, also ducking inside. He expected to see clothes and bedding spread everywhere, but all Zev's belongings were folded and stacked in neat little piles.

"No problem. The only reason I was by myself was because there was an odd number of cadets this year."

Luke opened the bag the commander had given him, and spread out the sleeping bag over his half of the tent. Despite his anger over being here, sleeping in a tent would be an interesting novelty. It was something he and Biggs had wanted to do many a time on Tatooine, but the adults would never allow it.

"Do you want to go for a tour now?" Zev asked.

"I guess I should change into a silly uniform first," Luke said, pulling one out of the bag. It was a two-piece uniform, and the tunic had a name patch across the left hand side. His read 'Cadet Skywalker'. He was relieved his father had obviously contacted them prior to his arrival and told them his name. If it had read 'Cadet Vader', he might have had to chop it out.

When he stepped out of the tent clad in his new attire, Zev glanced at him and then said, "Congratulations. You now look like everybody else," in a vaguely cynical tone. Luke was starting to get the impression his tent-mate was as unenthusiastic about being here as he was.

He was friendly enough during the tour though, describing things in the same distant tone he'd used earlier when talking about the tent. He showed him the refreshers, the dining hall, the medical bay, the indoor gym and then moved on to the surrounding areas. There were many obstacle courses, including a rope course far up in the trees. They passed the lake a few times, and Luke could see a few cadets swimming over the far side. There was an officer supervising them.

"How many officers are here?" Luke asked.

"At the moment, five," Zev said, picking up a stray tree branch from the ground, and fidgeting with it as they walked. "Not counting Commander Hayge and Lt Cmdr Mata - they're in charge. We generally only see them when they take indoor classes. There're five other Lieutenants - one per team."

"How many on our team?"

"Six counting you," Zev said. "I'll introduce you to the others at dinner. We're Team Loyalty. The teams are named after various Imperial values."

"What are the other teams called?" Luke asked, almost afraid to ask.

"Dedication, Sacrifice, Honor and Bravery."

"How about control, intimidation, fear and suppression?" Luke suggested, with a smirk. "Can we change our team name?"

Zev stared at him like he was crazy.

"Sorry," Luke said, looking away. He shouldn't have made a joke like that without knowing Zev a little better. "That wasn't funny."

"It was funny, but I can't believe you said that," Zev said, shaking his head. "Don't say anything like that around the officers ... talk like that can get you sent to the commander's office. They'd call it treason. Maybe it's okay to make jokes like that on Coruscant, but the officers here have served on the frontlines ... some of them practically worship the Emperor. They talk about the Imperial cause like it's sacred."

"I'll watch what I say," Luke said, carefully.

* * *

Vader gazed at the stars streaking past out the cockpit window, without really seeing them. He wasn't used to second-guessing his decisions. Having doubts could be fatal on the battlefield. But he hadn't been prepared for how unsettling it would feel, to leave Luke behind. It was ridiculous, really. He left Luke on Coruscant on a regular basis, sometimes for weeks at a time. This was no different.

Luke wouldn't be so upset once he made some friends and settled down at this place. He would enjoy being outdoors on a planet that wasn't all concrete and steel. Besides, he had to look at this realistically. Luke required more of his time and attention than the entire galaxy combined. The only way he was going to curb this tide of recklessness was by putting Luke under constant supervision. Something he simply didn't have the time for personally. This was the best decision for all concerned.

Luke was in good hands. For the first time in two years he didn't have to worry about his son, so he should start enjoying it. He could do all the things he used to do before the constant concern of fatherhood had settled in. He'd begin making a list of everything he hoped to accomplish when he got back, starting with some meditation. Perhaps he could catch up with that right now.

He made himself comfortable in the pilot's seat, and reached out to join himself with the ever-present dark energy. It swirled around him, responding to his mental touch, and seeping up his frustration over Luke. He was just starting to settle into it, when he was interrupted by the sound of someone laughing. Not someone. Luke. Luke was laughing.

Vader stood up in surprise, and looked back towards the passenger lounge. Luke couldn't be here. He'd left him on Kawai VI. There was no way he could have got back on the ship without him knowing.

He walked to the door of the passenger lounge, and glanced inside, almost dreading what he would see. But the sight left him both angry and relieved. There were five Lukes, all sitting on one couch, identical right down to their boots. The clone dream.

"For star's sake," he said, angrily. "Go away!"

They looked frightened at his words. "Don't you love us?" the closest one asked.

"We'll be good!" another one interrupted.

Vader started towards them, half tempted to jam them in the airlock and release them into space. But even he couldn't bring himself to do that. They looked too much like his real son. He couldn't remember Luke ever being quite this needy, however.

"If you want to please me, then be gone from my mind," Vader said. "You're interfering with my meditation."

"You care about your meditation more than us?"

"Well, that's obvious," another one said. "Stop whining, Whiny."

"Takes one to know one, Hutt-face!"

Vader turned away, silently begging the Force to let this vision end. "Quiet," he said, firmly.

"But Whiny said -"

"I said _quiet_," Vader said, turning back. "And don't call him Whiny."

"But that's his name."

"It's a stupid name," Vader said. "From now on, you are Luke1, Luke2, etcetera."

"Who's Luke1?"

"Figure that out yourselves."

In a second, they were all arguing over who was who. Vader stepped backwards, feeling his heart begin to beat faster. He could face many things, but not the prospect of mediating an argument between five Lukes. He turned away, intending to return to the pilot's seat, but his vision dissolved around him. He sat up quickly, and gripped the controls. The faint echo of the clone's arguing voices could still be heard.

* * *

That evening, Luke followed Zev into the dining hall. They collected trays loaded with food, and then Zev led him over to the table set aside for Team Loyalty. There were three cadets already sitting there.

"We have a new team member," Zev said, gesturing at Luke. "Luke, this is Lamber Fonz." Zev gestured at a boy who smiled at Luke and mumbled a 'hi'. Zev continued to the next boy, who looked about two years younger than Luke, perhaps more. His uniform was slightly too big for him, making him look even smaller. "And our youngest team member, Bo Jetner." Bo smiled shyly, then went back to his dinner. Zev pointed at the last boy, who was smirking at Luke in a slightly unpleasant way. "And Crepes."

Luke smiled in greeting, but Crepes only raised an eyebrow in response.

"There's one other team member," Zev said, turning to Luke. "He'll be around somewhere. I'm going to get some serviettes."

Zev put his tray down the other end of the table, several spans away from the other cadets. Luke was just thinking about where to sit, when another cadet appeared beside the table, also carrying a tray of food. He glanced at Luke once, and then did a double take.

"Luke?!"

Luke studied the cadet, and recognized him from school. His name was Havy Upworth, son of some famous general, and he was two years older than him.

"Where did you come from?" Havy asked.

"I just came today," Luke explained.

"Really? What did you do?"

"Um ..."

Havy sat down, and gestured for Luke to sit opposite. "Stupid tabloids photographed me kissing the Jreen senator's daughter at a party. I guess I'd had too much to drink, because I just didn't see them ... then my parents' stupid PR consultant recommended they send me here just to stop her father from coming after me with a blaster."

"I, uh ..." Luke stared at his food, suddenly realizing how childish his story about sneaking onto a bounty hunter's ship really was. He couldn't tell Havy that. "I would rather not say."

"That bad, huh?"

"My father didn't take it well," Luke agreed.

"Well I don't imagine your father has a lot of tolerance for things that get ... out of control. Have you met the rest of the team?"

Luke glanced at the others. "Yes, uh ... Zev introduced me."

Zev returned at that moment, and sat down at the other end of the table. Luke wondered why he sat apart from the rest of them, but then Zev produced a databook. He held it up to read in one hand, while eating with the other. It had a picture of a tree on the back, and the title said something about landscape design. It didn't look all that riveting to Luke, but maybe Zev was interested in that kind of thing.

"He's your tent-mate?" Havy said, pointing a thumb in Zev's direction. "Well, if you get tired of finding books in your sleeping bag, there's always room in mine and Crepes tent."

Luke thought back, but couldn't remember any databooks in the tent at all. Odd.

Suddenly, a stream of mustard shot through the air and splattered all over the front of his uniform. Luke stood up in shock, and looked around for the perpetrator. It didn't take long to figure it out. Crepes was still holding the mustard tube.

"Newbie!" he taunted, throwing a handful of rice for good measure. The rice stuck to the mustard, and the whole mixture started to seep into his tunic.

Some other cadets over the other side of the room saw what was happening, and began to laugh. Lamber and Bo just stared at Crepes like he was crazy, but Havy leaned over and grabbed Crepes by the collar. "You hutt-head!" he said, shaking him. "What the hell are you doing?"

Zev called Luke's name, and held up some of the paper towels he'd retrieved earlier. Luke gratefully went to accept them, taking his food tray with him.

"I should have warned you to watch out for that," Zev said, as Luke tried to dab himself off. The mustard was so thick, he only made it worse. "Check your sleeping bag tonight, in case anyone put glue in there."

Luke didn't reply. The shock was starting to wear off and be replaced with anger.

He glanced back at the other end of the table, where things had fallen suspiciously silent. They were all staring at him as if waiting for some kind of reaction. One part of him was tempted to throw some food of his own, but growing up on Tatooine had left him averse to wasting food, for any reason.

Finally, Crepes left his seat and walked over, looking apologetic. He was a good head taller than Luke, and probably a year older. He scratched his ear, looking embarrassed, and then said, "Sorry about that. I ... I didn't realize. I was just joking around ... "

"It wasn't funny," Luke said, annoyed.

"I know, I'm so sorry," he said, now sounding nervous. "I'll do anything you want to make it up to you. I swear, anything."

"Anything?" Zev said, smirking. He'd been watching the conversation with interest.

The cadet ignored him, and picked up a slice of pie from Luke's plate. He held it out.

"Here. You can throw this at me if you like."

"I want to eat that," Luke said, snatching it back.

"I'll do it," Zev said, standing up and picking up some of his own food.

"Stay out of this, Veers." He turned back to Luke. "Please, let me do something to make it up to you."

His display was so pathetic, Luke felt the last of his anger slipping away. This guy was clearly a little unstable.

"Forget it," Luke insisted.

In response, the cadet suddenly looked afraid. He'd been looking nervous before, but now he was genuinely afraid. Luke could even sense it. He glanced over at Zev, and found he looked much the same. The cause soon became apparent when a shadow fell across the table. Luke turned around to find an officer was standing there. It was clear from his narrow, cold eyes that he wasn't happy, by any measure.

"_What_ is going on here?!" he demanded.

Crepes launched into a flurry of apologies and nothing sirs, but Zev remained silent. Eventually the officer pointed towards the door. "All three of you - outside! Now! Move!"

_Great_, Luke thought, as he followed Zev towards the door. He'd been here less than a day, and already he was in trouble. It was almost starting to feel like home. The other cadets in the lunchroom stared at them as they walked past, some with pity.

Once outside, Crepes and Zev stood at attention, waiting for the officer to join them. He was still inside. Luke stood beside them, and waved some of the night insects away from his face. He could see hordes of them buzzing around the exterior lights on the dining hall.

"Who was that?" Luke asked, finally.

"Lieutenant Tancher," Zev supplied.

"Also known as Lieutenant Torture," Crepes said.

Zev smirked. "Yeah. Who died and made him Darth Vader, that's what I want to know."

Luke turned to Zev in surprise. "Who died and made him - what?"

"Shut your mouth, Veers," Crepes said, looking nervous.

It occurred to Luke that Havy must have told Crepes who his father was. That would also explain why he was apologizing so profusely a moment ago ...

"It's just an expression," Zev said, looking equally confused at the reaction his remark had received. "Like when you say to someone overeating 'who died and made you Gigantia the Hutt', or when -"

Lieutenant Tancher walked out of the building at that moment, and Zev fell silent. He came to a halt in front of them, and then stared directly at Luke.

"Who are you? I've never seen you before."

"I ... uh ..." Luke stuttered.

"He's Cadet Luke Skywalker, sir," Zev supplied. "He just arrived a few hours ago."

The lieutenant's expression suddenly changed, and he glanced at Luke again. This time, his expression was more curious than anything else. Finally, he glanced back at Zev.

"And were you assigned to look after him, Veers?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then why does he have food smeared across his uniform?!"

Zev didn't reply. He obviously wasn't willing to get Crepes in trouble, no matter how much he deserved it. One look at Lieutenant Tancher convinced Luke that no one deserved that.

"I spilt my plate," Luke supplied.

"You like to eat mustard and rice?" the lieutenant asked, pointing at the large stain.

"Uh ... yes, it's a great combo," Luke said. "You should try it sometime."

Zev and Crepes stared at him like he was crazy. The lieutenant's expression suggested he was thinking much the same thing.

Eventually, he waved a hand. "Go back inside. Cadet Veers, you will come with me."

Luke was about to protest, but the words died in his mouth as Zev immediately walked after the lieutenant.

"Are you going to let him take the blame?" Luke asked Crepes.

"He didn't say he was in trouble ... he just wanted to speak to him. It's probably about something else."

"What if it isn't?"

"What can I do? I can't go after them - he said he only wanted to speak to Veers. Listen, you don't mess around with Lieutenant Tancher. It doesn't matter whose son you are. Before he came here he was an interrogation specialist. He was transferred out of the field because too many of his suspects kept dying on him. He ordered us to go back inside - that means we go back inside."

Crepes walked past him, doing just that. Luke took one last glance into the darkness, and then followed him.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Vader had taken extra care to keep active during the rest of the day, unwilling to risk another descent into the madness that were his recent meditations. If his master found out about this, he would probably order him to have a medical examination, and then take a vacation. Or worse, he would take it as a sign that he wasn't coping with Luke, and insist the boy move in with him.

As the evening wore on, he decided he could at least use a break, if not an actual meditation session. He found himself pausing as he walked past Luke's bedroom, on his way to his own private chambers. It was funny how you didn't notice things until they weren't there. Almost instinctively, he'd stretched out with the Force to ensure Luke was safe in bed.

Vader turned around, changing his mind about needing a break. He would go down to the ship hangar, and try to put an end to this pathetic display. Luke had barely been gone a few hours. He _wasn't_ missing him. That would be pure insanity. He had made his life a blackhole of stress while he'd been here, and now he was supposed to be enjoying the freedom of not having to worry about his reckless young offspring.

What he needed was a distraction. Perhaps he should see about fixing the faulty engine thruster on one of the shuttles. Or maybe trying some new modifications on a speeder.

When he arrived in the hangar, he walked over to a nearby tech room, in order to pick up a box of tools. The first thing he noticed was REQ-Less-1, still sitting in a powered-down state in the corner. The droid had been sadly neglected since its completion. A field test was long overdue.

Once it was powered up, it immediately started rolling forward.

"Greetings. I am REQ-Less-1, astromech-protocol hybrid -"

"I know who you are," Vader said, picking up a toolbox. "Follow me. I require you to assist me with fixing a shuttle engine."

"I am capable of fixing many mechanical faults," REQ-Less-1 intoned.

"We shall see," Vader said, walking out of the tech room.

The droid rolled along behind. "It is my pleasure to be of service to you."

_Too talkative_, Vader thought. He would have to ask Luke to fix it tomorrow. He paused by the shuttle for a moment, deciding which panel to remove, and then it occurred to him that Luke wouldn't be here tomorrow. He wouldn't be here for another four weeks.

He heard a whirring noise, and looked down to see REQ-Less was already attempting to expose the ship's circuitry. The only problem was the droid was using a high-powered drill to do it.

"Stop," Vader said. "You will permanently damage it."

REQ-Less backed off, but it did not retract the drill. "May I translate something for you?"

"Translate this," Vader said. "Do not speak unless you have important information to relay."

"What language would you like it translated into, sir?" the droid asked.

Vader groaned in annoyance, and then turned back to the shuttle. The droid clearly had a few loose wires.

Behind him, he heard a beeping noise, and he looked over to find Artoo had emerged from the droid storage closet. Clearly, the droid had heard the noise and decided to investigate. Due to the angle Artoo was approaching from, he didn't notice REQ-Less until he was right next to him. He swiveled his dome around to scan the new droid, and then let out a sudden high-pitched screech.

"It is only another droid," Vader said, wearily. "There is no need for panic."

Artoo didn't listen. He began beeping and whistling loudly, calling repeatedly for Threepio. Vader shook his head, turning back to the shuttle. He should make a recording of this for Luke. Threepio's voice soon drifted out of the droid storage room.

"Artoo? Whatever's the matter, Artoo? Stop making such a racket."

There was a whirring noise, and Vader turned to find REQ-Less had started up the drill again. This time, he was attempting to drill Artoo. Perhaps he thought the noise coming from Artoo was a defect that needed to be repaired, or perhaps he decided he didn't like Artoo much either. Vader didn't know. Whatever the reasoning, it was the last decision REQ-Less made. Artoo extended a charging fork, and released a burst of electricity. REQ-Less shot backwards, crackled blue with residual charge for a moment, and then promptly exploded. Pieces of him bounced off Vader's armor.

Threepio then came hurrying up, waving his arms around frantically. "Artoo! What happened?! I heard something explode!"

"Yes," Vader said, in a tone heavy with repressed anger. "A newly constructed droid Luke had been working on for weeks."

Artoo whistled something about it being a hideous monstrosity.

"That is no excuse for destroying it," Vader said. "You are supposed to fix things, not break them."

Artoo beeped sadly.

"An accident? How could electrocuting it be an accident?" Vader asked. "You are starting to sound like Luke!"

Artoo whistled something about self-defense, and then asked Threepio to back him up.

"I'm sorry, Artoo, you are on your own," Threepio said, backing away quickly.

Artoo remained still for another three seconds, then whistled something about needing to fix a squeaky door. As Vader watched him make a hasty escape, a realization dawned._ You just lectured a droid_. Was he really missing Luke that much? Another week here, and who knew what he'd be doing.

He picked up his holocom, and pressed the P.A. summons button. Within a moment, one of them answered.

"Yes, sir?"

"I need to leave Coruscant. _Now_. Find out when and where the next star destroyer is departing."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

After dinner, it was free time until lights out. Some cadets went off to watch the HoloNet in the common room, and Havy invited Luke to play beepball with him and Crepes in the gym. But Luke was concerned about Zev. He politely declined, and then made his way back to the tent.

Zev wasn't inside. For a moment, he considered checking the common room, but then he realized that was unlikely. He'd only known Zev for a few hours, but it was clear he was introverted. There was nothing to do but sit and wait here.

Luke leaned over and unzipped his luggage. He'd been so angry this morning, he hadn't paid attention to what he'd put in his bag, and what he'd left behind. There had to be something of interest in here, if only a databook. His search was rewarded when he found himself looking at his flightsim game. This would keep him entertained for hours yet.

It was lying under a datapad of some sort. Luke pulled both objects out, and realized the datapad was in fact a collection of holophotos. It normally sat on his bedside table on Coruscant, and randomly displayed a holo from his collection. He switched it on, and it lit up with a holo of his parents on their wedding day.

He quickly pressed the forward button, not wanting to look at his father right now. Unfortunately, the next photo was a far more recent one, of he and his father at some Imperial Palace gathering. He pressed the back button, deciding there were better ways to reveal his parentage to Zev, than letting him catch sight of that particular photo.

The sound of the tent being opened caused him to drop the holoprojector. Zev had returned. He didn't look at Luke. Instead he went to his bed, and flopped down onto his pillow.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked. "I'm so sorry! What happened? What did he do to you?"

"Don't worry," Zev mumbled, in a tone that said he didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm sorry," Luke repeated. "This was all my fault. I should have just sat down and -"

Zev turned sideways slightly, so he could see Luke.

"Luke, who are your parents?"

"Um," Luke glanced at the holophoto, now lying beside his pillow. "Why do you ask?"

"Crepes was almost frightened of you ... my father outranks his, but he doesn't act that way around me. Torture let you address him without calling him sir. Then he gives me this big lecture about how if anything should happen to you again, he'll lock me in a closet with some pain droids. Obviously everyone else knows something that I don't. You must be the son of some regional governor."

"No," Luke said, distantly.

"The Emperor's nephew?"

"Stars, no!" Luke said, revolted at the idea.

Zev snapped his fingers. "Lord Vader. I know he has a son."

"That he pushed off to military camp," Luke said, sadly.

"Really? Lord Vader is your father? Oh ... sorry about that thing I said earlier. I didn't mean -"

"Don't worry about it," Luke said. "I know how people see my father. But they only see one side of him. There's more to him that what he tries to make out."

Zev shook his head. "Lord Vader is your father ... but you seem so ... normal."

"Thanks ... I think," Luke said.

"You must have met heaps of important people ... stars, you could be Emperor yourself someday!"

Luke burst out laughing. "My father won't let me sit in a pilot's seat never mind the galactic throne."

Zev didn't appear to hear him. He was staring distantly into the tent wall.

"Luke," he said, finally, "about that thing you said earlier ... when I was giving you the tour. The thing about the team names ... when you suggested they should be called fear and oppression."

"Oh that," Luke said. "What about it?"

"Do you really believe that, or were you just joking?"

Luke considered it. "I don't know," he admitted. "I don't really know a lot about politics. In social studies class it seems like the Empire has done so much good for the galaxy, but then I see things happening that don't seem right. For instance, I saw this thing on the news once, where an Imperial Starfleet bombed a city until it was a nothing more than a hole in the ground, just because there was a Rebel base there. It seemed like a total waste. I asked my father about it, but he wouldn't give me a straight answer."

Luke paused for a moment, thinking.

"Maybe I don't understand the war and the fighting, but I do know I hate the Emperor."

"_You_ hate the Emperor? But why?"

"I've met him. That about sums it up."

"Not so loud," Zev said, frowning. "If one of the officers heard you ... wait, what am I saying? They couldn't do anything! No wonder Torture let you get away with not calling him sir ..." Zev began to snigger. "He knows you could be his future boss one day."

"I doubt it," Luke said.

"Don't tell him that. Stars, I wish I could talk back to him and get away with it. There are so many things I'd like to say to him."

Luke leaned back, staring at the tent ceiling. The idea of being able to talk back to the officers should have made him happy, but there was only one adult he took pleasure in talking back to. Someone who was far away.

"Do they ever let us use the holocom?" he asked,

"Only on weekends. You get two minutes."

Maybe he'd have to swallow his pride, and take Lev's advice about groveling. He could contact his father after being here a few days, and beg him to let him come home.

"You can take my timeslot as well, if you like," Zev said. "I never use it."

"You never call your parents?"

"I have to live with my father for three weeks every year. That's more than enough."

"I can understand that," Luke sighed.

* * *

Competence was all too hard to find within the Imperial military, but Vader had to admit he'd found it amongst his P.A.s. Perhaps that was due to a process of natural selection, where by he'd weeded out the less than desirable ones, but they had certainly done their duty this evening. When he said he wanted to leave Coruscant _now_, they took him seriously.

In gratitude, he'd advised them to take the week off, and departed for the star destroyer _Harbinger_. The ship was due to leave Coruscant in the next ten minutes. He didn't bother to make any announcement of his impending arrival. Sometimes it was good to catch a crew unawares.

As he walked down the boarding ramp, he found himself looking at an officer who couldn't be older than thirty. They'd managed to assemble a small contingent of stormtroopers, perhaps realizing from the shuttle's clearance code that this had to be someone important.

The officer was staring at him in wide-eyed surprise. It took a few seconds before he managed to compose himself.

"Welcome aboard the _Harbinger_, Lord Vader. Uh ... this is a surprise." He paused for a moment. "A nice surprise," he added.

Vader glanced at his rank bar, noting he was a lieutenant commander.

"What is your name, Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Sorry, sir, I mean ... my lord, I should have - I'm Lieutenant Commander Wing. Third officer of the _Harbinger_."

"Lieutenant Commander Wing," Vader repeated, starting to walk towards the distant elevators. "I will be on board for the duration of your mission. Consider it an inspection."

"Yes, sir."

"There are two things you should be aware of, for your own safety."

"Yes, sir."

"Number one - spare me your sycophancy. This is not a nice surprise. If it were, I would make sure it wasn't for much longer."

"Yes, sir."

"Number two - I do not tolerate failure. Your crew will perform to the highest standard the Emperor expects of you, or there will be consequences. You may pass that on to your captain."

"Sir, I - our captain is on vacation at the moment."

Vader stopped walking, and turned to face the lieutenant.

"Then pass it on to your first officer," Vader said, idly wondering what this officer's graduating score was at the academy.

"He's on vacation too, sir."

"Are you in charge of this ship, Lieutenant Wing?" Vader asked, almost dreading the answer.

"At the moment, yes, sir. Commander Samti, our second officer, is on board, but he's asleep at the moment. He'll be on duty in eight hours. I cover the night shift, sir."

"What are your mission objectives, Lieutenant?" Vader asked, wondering how both the captain and first officer could be granted leave at the same time.

"Deep space secondary shipping route monitoring, sir. We also do some cargo inspections, when the nearby fleets become otherwise engaged. To be honest, we haven't seen any action in over a year."

"Good," Vader said. "That means everything is running smoothly in this galaxy, does it not, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, sir," the officer answered, dutifully.

Privately, Vader considered renaming the ship the _Harbinger_ _of Boredom_.

It would be a long two weeks.

* * *

Word spread quickly around the camp that Luke was Vader's son. By the second day, there was a collection of younger cadets outside Luke's tent, asking if he'd mind autographing their camp guides. It had felt incredibly vain to do so, but Luke had decided obliging would be the quickest way to get them out of his hair. However, when one cadet insisted he sign it 'Luke Vader' instead of 'Luke Skywalker' he ended up telling them all to go away.

The next few days passed quickly for Luke. It was fine weather, so they were outside every day, learning tracking skills, orienteering and kayaking. They would always compete against other teams, and Loyalty managed to come first in the orienteering activity. The officers, apart from Lieutenant Tancher, weren't so bad. They kept them under tight control, but enjoyed a moment of fun now and then.

But nothing had dimmed his desire to return home. Knowing he hadn't even said a proper goodbye to his father was eating at him. He'd been in a foul mood that day, granted, but he still should have said goodbye.

So when the weekend rolled around, Luke rushed to get a good place in the holocom queue. Havy joined him, scrolling through holocom frequencies on a datapad.

"Decisions, decisions," he mumbled.

"Deciding who to call?" Luke asked.

"Yes. Jacqui or Jalyn. Or maybe Besa ... if her father's not around. If he answers the call, that would be a total waste."

Luke shook his head.

Crepes appeared behind them, and tried to reach over Havy's shoulder to grab his datapad. Havy pushed him away.

"Please," Crepes said. "Just one number."

"I already said _no_."

Crepes sulked for a moment, then he noticed Luke.

"Hey, you've got two chips. How did you get two?"

"Zev gave me his," Luke explained.

Crepes snorted with laughter. "How pathetic. Imagine having no one to call."

"He does have someone to call, he just doesn't want to speak to him," Havy explained.

"Do you know why?" Luke asked, curious.

"I've found it's better not to ask about his father," Havy said. "But you have to wonder about it. He leaves Zev in military school for all but three weeks every year. No wonder he resents him."

"What happened to his mother?" Luke asked.

"She died."

"Oh," Luke said. The words instantly made him think about his own mother.

"So who are you calling, Luke?" Crepes asked.

"My father, of course."

"They would let you talk to him anytime," Havy said. "Here, take one of my numbers. Mulu is drop-dead gorgeous. Her father is the president of Nylar."

"Not fair! You wouldn't give me one!" Crepes complained.

"I trust Luke to treat the lady properly."

"What am I supposed to do with a stranger's number?" Luke asked. "Hello, you don't know me, but how's the weather?"

"Exactly," Havy said. "Say that Havy Upworth gave you her number, and as soon as you heard her name, you had a feeling you were meant to call her. Then tell her you are Lord Vader's son, and before you know it, you'll have a date for when you get back to Coruscant."

Luke stopped short of admitting he wouldn't have the slightest idea what to do on a date with some president's daughter. He was still trying to figure out how to talk to the girls in his class at school. "She would probably cut the call if I mentioned my father."

"Not true," Havy said. "If I say my name is Havy, I'm just a sixteen year old kid to these girls. If I say Havy, son of General Upworth ... well, that's how I got this list of numbers."

"I don't think I'd want to date anyone who only liked me because of my father," Luke said.

"You're next," Crepes said, pointing Luke towards a vacant holocom booth.

Luke walked forward, and shut the door behind him. He pushed the chip into the slot, and the display lit up in front of him. The first number he tried was his father's private holocom frequency. It tried to connect for a few seconds, and then came back with 'out of range'.

"Darn it, where are you?!" Coruscant wasn't that far away.

Luke quickly entered an alternative number, hoping it was only a matter of a damaged relay circuit. After a good minute of listening to it beep, he cut it off, and decided to try the P.A. frequency. At least they would be able to tell him where his father was. It took another thirty seconds for that to be answered, and when it was, Luke was surprised to find himself looking at the white mask of a stormtrooper.

"Uh ... who are you?" Luke asked.

"That depends on who you are."

Luke stared at the holocom controls, wondering if he'd entered the wrong number. It all looked fine from his end. Maybe there was a communications problem on Coruscant.

"Is that Lord Vader's residence?" Luke asked.

"Who wants to know?"

Luke frowned. "His son, Luke Skywalker."

"Oh, right. Hello Luke. I thought I recognized you from somewhere. I'm JJ-498, fourth division, Imperial palace squad."

"Can you put a P.A. on the line?" Luke asked, wary of the diminishing time on his calling chip.

"They're on vacation. There'll be a temp on tomorrow, but it's the middle of the night here."

"Vacation? I just want to speak to my father," Luke said. "His private line says out of range. He hasn't left Coruscant, has he?"

"He has. Left quickly about a day ago."

"Why? Where has he gone?" Luke asked, impatiently. "When will he be back?"

"I don't know, and even if I did, I couldn't tell you over an unsecured frequency. However, I can pass on a message."

Luke groaned. "Okay. Just tell him I want to come home. And say that the thing with the bounty hunter's ship was an accident. Wait, maybe scratch that last part. Just say that I miss him."

"I'll make sure it gets added to the end of his daily report from Coruscant."

"Thank you," Luke said. "Goodnight."

Luke sighed as he released the call, unable to withhold his disappointment any longer. He'd been looking forward to this call all day, and now it seemed it could be days before he heard from his father.

He stared at his unused holocom chip, wondering what to do with it. He could try calling Ben ...

Loud banging on the door put an end to that train of thought. Crepes was outside, looking impatient.

"It's all yours," Luke said, walking away.

* * *

Luke sat outside the tent for a long while, staring up at the stars. It was a much brighter view than you could get from Coruscant. One of the brightest stars was probably Coruscant's sun. His father would be able to tell him which. He held on to the thought, and closed his eyes.

_Father_ ...

There was nothing to indicate whether his mental call had been heard. Perhaps it didn't work over long distances. His father had never explained the technicalities of their exclusive communication line.

Eventually, he crawled back into the tent, feeling melancholy.

"You're quiet," Zev said, finally.

"So are you."

"I'm always quiet," Zev said. "You're usually playing that starpilot game. What happened? Did you get to speak to your father?"

Luke shook his head. "He's left Coruscant. His comlink says out of range."

"Bad luck."

Luke lay back on his sleeping bag, and stared at the tent roof.

"It's nice that you miss him," Zev said, distantly. "Most people here think getting away from the parents is the best thing about this place. I know I do. Actually, that's the only good thing about this place."

"It's not so much that I miss him," Luke explained. "When I left Coruscant, my father and I were arguing. I didn't even say goodbye to him. Normally when we argue, it's all over the next day. Because we haven't had a chance to talk, it feels like we're still arguing. I just wanted to let him know that I don't hate him. I mean, what if something happened to him?" Luke considered it for a moment. "I've only been living with him for two years," he added. "Before that I thought he was dead. Sometimes I have this feeling like he could be taken away again, just like that."

Zev was quiet for a long while, and then he said, "I'm sure he knows you don't hate him."

Luke shook his head. "You don't know my father - sometimes he talks like he wants me to hate him, and can't understand why I don't. He gets annoyed when I call him 'Dad'."

"There is only one thing I'm allowed to call my father," Zev said. "And that is 'sir'."

Luke smiled. "He should meet my father sometime. They'd probably get on really well."

"Oh, they have met," Zev said. "My father is a great admirer of his frontline command style."

Zev put his databook aside for a moment, and joined Luke in contemplating the tent ceiling. "I remember missing my father, once," he said. "That was a long time ago."

"What happened?"

"I suppose it all started after my mother died. He didn't cope with it well ... sent me off to boarding school and buried himself in his career. I saw less and less of him as the years went by. As I got older, I started questioning a lot of what I was learning about ... certain things in history class. I wrote essays that the teachers didn't like. The school told my father that I was going astray due to a lack of parental attention."

"Then he sent you to military school?"

"Yes. He wants me to be an officer, just like him. I can't think of anything I want less." Zev sighed. "Only three more years and then he is no longer my legal guardian. That's the only thing that keeps me going."

"Does he know how you feel?" Luke asked.

"Oh yes, he knows." Zev paused for a moment. "He told Lieutenant Tancher to keep an eye on me."

Luke cringed with understanding.

* * *

Vader spent his first two days on the _Harbinger_ haunting the bridge, ensuring everything was running smoothly on this particular extension of the Emperor's will. He promoted Commander Samti to acting Captain, and the youthful Lieutenant Commander Wing to acting commander, to give them a greater sense of authority in the absence of the ship's actual commanding officers.

Captain Samti was a competent and experienced officer, and it was clear he was well liked and respected by his crew. He had especially good rapport with Commander Wing, and they could often be seen discussing decisions and coming to mutual agreement. During a brief lapse in his mental control, it reminded Vader of the relationship between he and Obi-Wan during their many clone wars campaigns. Those were painful memories, however, and he made sure to push them back into his subconscious.

His presence had thrown a hydrospanner into this harmonious environment. It was clear he was an unwelcome watcher. The bridge crew would stare at him with fear, both for their own lives, and the lives of their shipmates. Vader enjoyed it. The fear would keep them on edge, and keep them from becoming complacent.

By the third day, he tired of tormenting the crew, and withdrew to his quarters. This wasn't one of the usual starships he traveled on, and so had no special chambers for him. Instead, he was staying in the guest quarters. Fortunately, the décor was black. After he'd thrown out all the flowers and pictures, the rooms were almost adequate.

He sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, and sought some mental release from his mask and armor. He didn't need a meditation chamber or a portable breather. He just needed the Force.

As he felt the energy begin to fill him, he slowed his breathing, and reached out to bend it to his command. The Force was his to control. Everything began swirling, and Vader became aware of a sudden headache. He was slipping, losing his grip ...

Everything went dark.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Luke was picking over his lunch when he felt someone slap him on the back. He looked up to see Havy.

"Still haven't heard from your father?"

Luke shook his head, going back to ladling spoonfuls of soup, then pouring it back into the bowl.

"It's been a week," Luke said, miserably.

"Here's some good news," Havy said. "We're having a team challenge this afternoon. Down at the obstacle course."

"Oh, goody," Zev said. He was sitting in his usual place at the other end of the lunch table, face hidden behind a databook.

Luke noticed the two cadets sitting opposite visibly shuddered.

"Are you all right, Lamber?" Luke asked, looking up. His teammate was pale, and he hadn't touched his lunch either.

"F-fine," Lamber mumbled.

"He's afraid of heights," Havy explained.

"And the other one is just a weed," Crepes said, approaching the table with a lunch tray. He gave Bo a push as he passed by, causing the young cadet to spill his drink. "He can't even do a push-up."

"Leave him alone," Luke said, annoyed.

Crepes quickly shut up.

After lunch, they walked down to the obstacle course with the other teams. To make matters worse, Lieutenant Tancher was supervising the activity, and he immediately began shouting instructions for everyone to line up at the start of the course. Luke was still learning exactly how to stand at attention, but he decided he could fake it, at least. Zev, standing beside him, made the position look natural.

He stared up at the first obstacle, which was a four-meter high climbing wall, made of interlocking rubber rings. Lamber, standing on his other side, was staring fixedly at the ground. Luke was going to reassure him, but the lieutenant began to walk down the line of cadets, outlining the rules.

"Now, pay attention! This time there will be no interfering with any other team's progress! If I see anyone pushing anyone else out of the way, your entire squad will go back to the starting line! And we have another new rule, courtesy of Team Loyalty."

Luke's team members groaned slightly, and Havy stared at the ground, rubbing his forehead.

"You may recall the last occasion, when we sat here for two hours waiting for certain cadets to finish. Seeing as we all want to get back to camp before next week, there is a maximum time limit of half an hour. Any team who has not finished in thirty minutes will be doing tedious chores every evening for a week. Do I make myself _clear_?!"

"Yes, sir," everyone dutifully answered. Luke noticed his team members didn't sound very enthusiastic.

"Now, you have five minutes to warm up," the lieutenant said, stopping at the end of the line and taking out a stopwatch. "Remember ... every last team member must be over the finish line before the timer will stop."

The teams broke off into groups to start discussing strategies. Luke turned to his teammates in surprise. "You guys took two hours to finish?" The course was long, but shouldn't take more than forty minutes. He could do it in ten if he really pushed himself.

"Don't look at me," Havy said.

"Me neither," Crepes said. He pointed at Lamber and Bo.

Luke stared at Bo, sizing him up. He had just turned thirteen, and was small and thin for his age. Luke recalled being much the same at Bo's age, but he had since begun to fill out and was going through a growth spurt.

Lamber was only a few months younger than him, and appeared strong enough to complete the course in the allotted time. The obstacles would be more psychological than physical for him.

"Okay, here's what we'll do," Luke said. "I'll stay beside Bo and help him. Zev, you help Lamber. Crepes - go in front of us, and Havy - you stay behind us. If anyone looks down, tell them to keep looking up. Crepes - just keep saying that it's only a little bit further." Luke paused for breath. "Come on, we can do this! We can be first!"

Crepes laughed, and pointed at a neighboring team. "Team Sacrifice will be first. They're always first."

Luke glanced at the elite team, who were doing warm-up stretching exercises.

"Well we'll at least finish before half an hour is up," Luke insisted.

"I'm sorry," Lamber said, holding his stomach. "I don't think I can do it ..."

"Yes, you can!" Luke said. "You did it last time, right?"

"In two hours," Crepes pointed out. "And Torture got sick of waiting and let him take a few shortcuts in the end."

"Listen," Luke said to Lamber, "how you feel right now ... that's worse than how it will feel when you're actually up there. My father says that fear is a far bigger obstacle than anything physical life can put in your path. Don't let your fear take over ... just think about how good you'll feel when you're on the other side, rubbing it in Torture's face that you made it in less than thirty minutes."

The last part caused Lamber to brighten up a little. Feeling like he was on a roll, Luke turned to Bo.

"Bo, you're lighter than everyone else, use that to your benefit. It's an advantage."

Bo nodded, not meeting his gaze. He was pretty shy ... Luke had barely heard him talk at all over the past week.

Lieutenant Tancher blew his whistle. "On your marks!"

Beside them, Team Sacrifice immediately organized themselves and stood at attention.

It was hardly fair, Luke thought. They all appeared to be at least fifteen. One of them looked over at Luke, and smirked in an unfriendly way. Luke frowned, and looked away.

"Get set."

Lamber and Bo reluctantly joined the rest of the team at the starting line. Crepes followed them, with an expression on his face that said 'this is going to be a disaster.'

Luke looked straight ahead, focusing on the first obstacle. The team would be up and over it in no time.

"Go!"

Crepes immediately ran for the start of the wall, but Luke followed at a slower pace. They had a whole half hour, and there was no point expending all his energy in the first five minutes.

Bo ran ahead of him, and immediately climbed up onto the first ring. Luke glanced over to make sure Zev and Lamber were okay, then proceeded to swing himself up beside Bo. They climbed side by side until they reached the top of the wall, making good progress. He looked over to find Zev, Lamber and Havy were only a meter behind. There were sliding poles at the top of the wall, allowing them to slide down onto a horizontal log below.

"It's only a little bit further," Crepes called. He was already balancing on the log below.

"Try and sound like you mean it," Luke said. He looked back at Bo. "Do you want to go first?"

Bo shook his head.

Luke nodded, and wrapped his arms and legs around the pole. He slid down and landed beside Crepes. Bo followed immediately after. He managed to balance on the log for a moment, but then Crepes ran to the other end, causing it to shake. Bo wavered and then quickly sat down, gripping the log tightly.

"Crawl it," Luke said. "I'll wait for you."

Bo shook his head, and climbed back to his feet shakily. He wavered back and forth, but managed to follow Luke as they walked to the top end of the log. There was a rope hanging at the other end, so they could swing across a wide gap.

"We're already losing," Crepes sighed. He was standing on the other side. Luke grabbed the rope, and swung over to join him.

"But we've still got a lot of time," Luke said, swinging the rope back to Bo. His younger teammate managed to swing okay, but didn't reach the other side of the platform. He ended up swinging back and landing on the log.

"Oh, brother," Crepes said, shaking his head.

"Come on, Bo," Luke called. "Try again! Push off from the log harder!"

Bo nodded, and managed to come a bit closer to the platform. Just as he began to swing away, Crepes reached out and grabbed him, pulling him forward to join them.

"Come on," Crepes said, pointing ahead. "The best part. Crawling in the trenches."

"You guys go on ahead," Luke said, deciding Bo wouldn't have any trouble with crawling under a net. "I'll wait for the others to catch up."

Lamber and Zev were still making their way up the adjacent log. Lamber had chosen to shuffle along it sideways, while Havy walked behind, looking bored. It took a few minutes, but eventually the rest of the team had joined Luke on the platform.

"Crawling," Havy sighed, as he jumped down into the trench. "I hate crawling."

"It's the only part I like," Lamber said, shakily.

Luke grinned. "Don't worry, we're nearly halfway there."

Zev joined Luke as they got on their hands and knees to crawl down the trench.

"We're nearly halfway, but it's the second half that's the catch," he said quietly. "You have to crawl along a ladder that's even higher than the top of the first wall ... Lamber couldn't do it last time."

"He'll do it this time," Luke insisted.

"Bo is doing much better," Zev admitted. "Last time he took ten minutes to get over the log. He kept losing his balance and falling off. Torture would make him start over."

At the end of the trenches, they crawled up a flat wall with the aid of a rope. A vast sea of cable knotted together like a spider-web spread out from there. Climbing over it was made difficult by the constant rocking back and forth caused by other cadets climbing off it on the other side. Luke paused in the middle, and looked up at what awaited them. There were several poles with metal staples sticking out of the sides. The one nearest him rose high into the air, leading to the base of a horizontal ladder, which stretched across a ten-meter gap. Some cadets were going underneath, swinging from one rung to the next. Others were choosing to climb up on top and crawl across that way. Luke could see why someone who was afraid of heights would be nervous about crossing it.

Beside him, Bo slipped and nearly fell through a hole in the net. Luke grabbed his arms, and dragged him back up.

"You go first," he said, pointing at the pole. "I'm right behind you."

It took Bo a few times to gain a good foothold, and then he managed to climb up onto the pole. Luke followed, seeing Crepes had already moved out onto the ladder. He had chosen to go over the top, which looked like the best option to Luke, too. Going underneath might be quicker, but one sweaty palm and you could be plunging to the ground. Luke found himself looking down as he climbed up, wondering if anyone had ever fallen before. There were soft mats underneath, but he doubted they would feel very soft, falling from this height.

Bo reached the top of the pole, and then hesitated. He hadn't made a sound, but Luke could sense he was frightened. Crepes suddenly reached down, and dragged him up on the top of the ladder. Bo yelled out in fright as he lost his footing, and then clung to the ladder, visibly shaking.

"That's not helping," Luke said, reaching the top of the pole.

"We're the only team still out here," Crepes complained.

Luke looked ahead, and saw the other cadets were all at the finish line.

"Then go ahead and join them," Luke said. "You're better there than making things worse out here."

Crepes shrugged, and did as Luke suggested, crawling over to the end of the ladder and on towards the end of the course. Luke climbed up beside Bo.

"Are you okay?"

Bo nodded, but didn't let go.

"It's not far," Luke said. "Just shuffle forward."

Bo still didn't move. He was staring fixedly at the ground.

"You won't fall," Luke said. "I swear, I'll grab you if you slip. Just take your time ... move a few centimeters, then take a break."

Bo slid his hand along the bars, and then shifted his right leg forward. Finally, he rose up so he was on all fours, and then shuffled along the ladder.

"Great," Luke said, crawling along behind him. "We're nearly at the end with time to spare."

Bo chuckled. At the end of the ladder, he rotated and then lowered himself down on to a rope that led to the next platform. He looked up at Luke, meeting his gaze for the first time that Luke could remember.

"I'm okay from here, Luke," he said. "I think Lamber needs help more right now."

Luke looked back and found Lamber was stuck halfway up the pole. Zev was at the start of the ladder, trying to coax him up.

"See you at the finish line," he said to Bo. He quickly crawled back towards Zev.

"Zev, where's Havy?" Luke said, coming up beside him and looking down the pole.

Zev gestured over to an adjacent ladder, where Havy was crawling across.

"You're supposed to be behind Lamber," Luke called, annoyed.

"It's a lost cause, Luke," Havy said, not pausing. "Sorry. I did try, but I'm tired of waiting."

"He's right," Zev said, glancing at his wrist chrono. "We've only got five minutes before the time expires. Don't worry - Torture won't make you do chores."

"Go and make sure Bo gets to the finish," Luke said, hanging off the side so Zev could get past him. "I'll help Lamber."

Zev moved on, and Luke swung himself back up onto the ladder. He looked down the pole, and saw Lamber was clinging to the handgrips and sweating like crazy. He could sense his fear, and also his extreme embarrassment that Luke was seeing him like this. Luke could identify. He hated for anyone to see him when he was frightened.

"It's okay," Luke called. "If you want to go back down, it's okay. But if you want to finish, then I can help you. It's only a little further."

Lamber shook his head. "I ... I'm sorry. I can't. I'm sorry I'm so weak."

"You're not weak," Luke said. "You're braver than everyone else in the team to have got this far. Everyone is frightened of something ... it's just bad luck that your fear is put out here in the open." Luke leaned down further. "If the other cadets had to overcome a fear like yours, half of them would still be back at the starting line. But you've nearly reached the end. Being brave doesn't mean not being afraid. It means doing things in spite of your fear. That's what my Uncle Owen used to say."

"Everyone is staring at us," Lamber said, miserably.

"Forget them," Luke said. "Want to know a secret?"

Lamber looked up. Almost instinctively, he climbed up another rung, just so he could hear Luke better.

"I'm terrified of the dentist," Luke admitted. "Last time I went, my father had to hold my hand."

"_Your_ father ... held your hand?" Lamber said. He broke into a grin. "You're kidding."

Luke shook his head. "I'm serious. I'm fine with heights, but one whiff of that dentist smell and I'm a wreck. Don't tell anyone."

Lamber nodded. "No one would believe me anyhow."

His voice was sounding a lot stronger.

"You know," Luke said, looking across the ladder. "Once you get over the ladder, it's all downhill. If you really want to get back on the ground, I think it would be quicker to come this way than try and reverse down the net."

"I'm coming," Lamber said, climbing higher. "Just keep distracting me. It really helps."

"What's your favorite holovid show?" Luke asked, shuffling down the ladder to give Lamber room to climb up.

"Galaxy's Scariest True Stories," Lamber said. "How about yours?"

"Depends on my mood," Luke said. "Galactic Bandits is always good. I love the way every episode is set on a new planet."

"Does your father ever watch holovid?" Lamber asked, crawling along the ladder.

"Only the news," Luke said. "He calls everything else mindless entertainment."

"My father says the same thing," Lamber said. "Except for the sports channels. He barely moves from the couch when it's nunaball season."

Luke laughed. He swung himself down onto the rope, and left room for Lamber to join him. His teammate had stopped again, but this time it wasn't because he was afraid.

"Stars, I did it! I'm over the ladder!" Lamber grinned, rubbing his forehead. He then became serious, and glanced at his chrono. "We've got one minute to get to that finish line."

They still had to run across another log and jump over a gap, but there was no stopping Lamber now. Luke had to run to keep pace with him. When they finally skidded over the finish line, the rest of Team Loyalty broke into loud cheers and applause.

Lieutenant Tancher put a swift end to that.

"Coming last is nothing to applaud," he said, striding up and waving a finger in Zev's face. "Next time, your team will do it in twenty minutes or I'll really give you something to scream about."

He turned away, and addressed the whole group.

"Congratulations to Team Sacrifice, the winning and indeed the only team to finish in fifteen minutes."

Team Sacrifice began to cheer, while the rest of them gave subdued applause.

"Now line up in your teams! You will all jog around the lake twice, and then head back to camp to get cleaned up!"

The lieutenant blew his whistle, and Luke jogged slowly after his team, thinking it was a bit rough to make them run after they'd just worn themselves out on the obstacle course. The rest of them obviously felt the same way, as it was a very leisurely jog.

"Did you see Torture's face as you and Lamber skidded over the finish line?" Havy asked, falling back to jog beside Luke. "I wish I'd brought a holocamera."

"I wasn't looking, but I can guess," Luke said, with a smirk.

"He looked like he really wanted to disqualify us but couldn't think of a good reason why."

Luke chuckled for a moment, and then became serious as he noticed a member of Team Sacrifice had fallen back. It was the same person who'd been smirking at him before the race. He looked around, and then jogged up beside Havy.

"Hey, Upworth, how did your team get saddled with another weakling?"

"How does your team manage to come first when you're dragging so much ego around?" Havy asked.

"Seriously, your team has the worst luck," the cadet said. "But I'm not complaining. My girlfriend will be impressed when I tell her I beat Vader's son in an obstacle race."

Luke felt a sudden blaze of anger. "I could beat you any day of the week!"

The cadet looked over in surprise, obviously unaware Luke was on Havy's other side. In an instant, the surprise disappeared.

"You could beat me? At what? Being short?"

Luke stopped jogging, and started moving towards the cadet, but Havy held him back.

"Ignore him, he's just jealous."

"No, let him go," the cadet said, also stopping. "This is going to be funny."

Luke looked past the cadet, and saw they were not far from the start of the obstacle course.

"Torture is coming over," Zev said, assisting Havy in holding Luke back. At this point, many of the cadets had stopped jogging, and were gathering around in anticipation of a fight.

"You want funny?" Luke asked. "How about your face when I beat you in a one-on-one race on the obstacle course?"

"I could beat you if you had a half hour head start."

"Then prove it," Luke said, pointing at the first wall.

The other cadet hesitated for a brief instant, and then took off at a sprint towards the starting line. Luke shook off his friend's hands, and raced after him. It wasn't until he was actually scrambling up the first wall that he stopped to wonder if he could really do this. But he didn't have a choice - it was his father's reputation on the line here, as well as his own.

Unfortunately, the cadet was older and stronger, and already had a head start.

_Don't think about it_, Luke thought, closing his eyes as he ran over the log. The shouts of the other cadets began to fade into the background. There was only himself, his body and the piece of the course directly in front of him. He shimmied through the trench, stirring up clouds of dust. When he came out the other side, he was aware the other cadet had fallen behind. He didn't pause for a second.

At the top of the pole, he cartwheeled over the ladder that made Bo and Lamber so nervous, and slipped down the rope only holding on with his legs. At the final gap, he ran up and did a somersault, landing lightly on the other side. He didn't even know where the other cadet was now, all he knew was that he felt wonderfully alive. He sprinted for the finish line, but ended up falling over it. The sudden pain in his knee caused him to come back down to ground quickly. In a moment, Zev was there, dragging him back up.

"Luke? Luke!"

He waved a hand in front of his eyes. Luke frowned, and reached up to shield his face. The gesture caused a sudden stabbing pain in his wrist, and he grabbed it with his other hand.

"Are you okay?"

"Sure," Luke said. "Did I beat that nerfherder?"

"Uh ..." Zev glanced back at the course. "I don't know. No one was watching him."

A shadow fell across Zev's face, and Luke glanced up to find Lieutenant Tancher standing over them. He expected him to be angry, but he seemed almost ... frightened? The expression was gone a moment later.

"Veers, are you blind? He's injured! Take him to the medical bay immediately!"

The lieutenant pointed at Luke's knee. Luke looked down to find blood seeping through his pant leg, just above the top of his boot. He must have tripped on something. He glanced back at the finish line, and saw a sharp tree branch lying a short distance away.

"Come on," Zev said, pulling Luke away.

* * *

They had several medical droids at the camp, and Luke felt they were overly dull for all their supposed bedside manner programming. However, they did do their job, and soon his knee was disinfected and bandaged. The branch must have had a sharp point on it, because the cut was quite deep.

He heard voices outside as the droid rolled away, and he kneeled on the bed in order to see out the window. Commander Hayge was outside, discussing something with Lieutenant Tancher.

"It was amazing, sir ... he was moving more like a moikini than a human. Flipping around like gravity meant nothing. It reminded me of -"

"A Jedi?" the commander finished. "Is that really a surprise, all things considered?"

"I feel we should have been warned about this," the lieutenant said. "What other strange abilities does he have? Is he safe around the other cadets?"

"I will talk to him. You're needed in the dining hall - try and discourage the cadets from discussing this incident."

"Yes, sir."

Luke heard the commander walking up the stairs, and quickly lay down on the bed. Now was his chance. He pulled a blanket over him, and closed his eyes, pretending to be resting. In a moment, the door slid open and Luke heard the commander enter the room.

"Cadet Skywalker?"

Luke opened his eyes, and then screwed up his forehead. "Hello, sir," he said, trying to sound weak.

"How are you feeling?"

"Not good," Luke said, misery dripping from his voice. He rubbed his wrist, and then sat up so he could rub his knee. "I think I'll have to go home ..."

The commander smiled. "I can't send you back over a cut knee and strained wrist, but I'm afraid you will no longer be able to participate in any physical activities."

"What?" Luke leapt to his feet. "Oh, come on! I hurt my wrist two weeks ago while I was hover-boarding. This is just a relapse. And the cut happened when I tripped on a tree branch someone had left lying around at the finish line - it didn't even happen on the course."

"I'm sorry, but I can't take any risks with your safety. Your father said he would kill us if you were injured in any way."

Luke waved a dismissive hand. "He's always threatening to kill people. It's just his twisted sense of humor. He's not serious."

The commander raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"What am I supposed to do if I can't join in anything physical?" Luke complained. "Sit on the sidelines and _watch_?"

"Perhaps there are some reading materials in my office that might interest you."

"That sounds even more boring," Luke said, no longer caring about being polite. "Having fun outside is the only thing I like about being here! You _can't_ take that away!"

"I'm sorry, but my word is final on that. Cadet, I have one more question for you."

Luke didn't respond.

"Lieutenant Tancher told me everything that happened. The first time you completed the course, you came last. Why, when you clearly have the ability to beat every other cadet?"

"The first time I was helping my team-mates," Luke said. "Stars, I would have thought that was obvious. Lamber in particular ... the poor guy was terrified of heights. It was cruel to make him do the course in the first place."

"I see," the commander said, distantly. He turned to leave, but Luke spoke up again.

"Sir, if I get hurt, I won't tell my father about it. You don't have to tell him. If he finds out, I'll just say it was my fault."

"If you fall and break your neck, you won't be able to make excuses for us."

"But what about the other cadets?" Luke said. "You let them do the activities!"

"I think the difference between yourself and them is quite clear, Cadet."

Luke made a noise of frustration.

"Please, Cadet, just remain on the ground," the commander said.

_I'm always on the ground_, Luke thought, angrily. _I should change my name to Luke Groundwalker_.

* * *

Vader wandered down the corridors of the ship, wondering where the crew was. The _Harbinger_ was strangely deserted. And there was streaking light going past the windows. Why had they entered hyperspace? He made his way to the bridge, intending to find an answer.

The captain and his first officer were standing by the viewing windows, heads bowed in discussion. As he approached, the captain started laughing. Shortly after, the first officer joined in, and started pointing at something in the crew pit. Vader followed the finger, and found Luke was down there, playing with the controls.

"Luke!" What was he doing here? Where was the rest of the bridge crew? This made no sense!

His son looked up, and smirked at him. "I'm not Luke. Can't you tell us apart yet?"

"Lord Vader, do you require some assistance in controlling your children?"

Vader turned to find the captain was beside him now. But what he saw caused him to rear back in shock. This wasn't Captain Samti, but Obi-Wan, dressed in an Imperial officer's uniform. His gaze flicked to the first officer, and he found himself staring at ... _himself_. No, not himself, but a twenty year old Anakin Skywalker. His former self was smirking in a slightly familiar way, and was dressed in Jedi robes.

"I don't have _children_!" Vader insisted. "I have one child. _One_!"

Someone tugged at his cape, and he looked down to find another Luke had appeared beside him.

"Dad, Luke3 flew off in a TIE Fighter from the ship hangar. I want to fly too. Can I? Pleeease?" The Luke pointed out the window, and Vader looked up to find a starfighter streaking erratically past.

Something triggered in his memory at that point. Clones of Luke ... he was dreaming!

"Poor man," Obi-Wan said, turning to Anakin. "Imagine having to raise five identical children. Raising one of you was hard enough ... I would have gone insane if they'd been five of you."

"Don't worry, I'd have gone insane if they'd been five of you too, Master," Anakin said, slapping Obi-Wan on the back.

"I don't want your pity!" Vader said, angrily, reaching automatically for his lightsaber. He found it was gone. A quick look around revealed another clone of Luke swinging it around near the bridge holocom terminal.

"He doesn't deserve pity," Anakin said, folding his arms. "He knows he can only blame himself for Luke's adventurous streak. It comes from our side of the family."

"His mother was hardly sedate," Vader protested.

"She married us," Anakin agreed. "That was reckless if anything was."

"Stop talking," Vader said. "You don't exist." He pointed at Obi-Wan. "And you are dead."

He turned to go and retrieve his lightsaber from the Luke clone, but everything started to fade away. Soon he found himself staring at the open door of the bedroom. He immediately tried to move, but was met with a sudden pain. Force, he was stiff! How long had he been sitting here?

Slowly, Vader managed to unfold his legs and stand up. He stretched a few times, and then began to walk into the main room. Silly nightmares. Luke clones and Obi-Wan officers ... what next?

He sat down at the computer terminal, and read the chronometer. 21-hundred ... nine hours after he'd begun his meditation. The knowledge made him cringe. He was supposed to control the Force, not the other way round. He could only remember the last few minutes of the images he'd seen. When he returned to Coruscant, perhaps he should go and be examined by a medical droid. His respirator might be giving him too little oxygen.

Perhaps he should catch up on his messages. He'd been waiting to hear from Luke to see how he was settling down at camp.

When he opened his communications inbox, he was met with an entire page of mail. It was backed up with daily reports from Coruscant. As if he cared what was happening on Coruscant - he'd come out here to get away from the place. He quickly deleted them, while also noting there was no message from Luke. His son must still be angry with him. That, or he was having too much fun at the camp to be bothered sending him a note.

Vader considered the situation for a moment, before something occurred to him. He'd just deleted at least five days worth of daily reports. Hadn't he only left Coruscant three days ago? A quick study of the computer clock revealed something that left Vader reeling in shock. Four days ... he'd been in that meditation for four days. No wonder he was stiff.

Vader stood up, and decided to return to the bridge. The officers would have grown lax without his presence for four days. They were probably hoping he'd died in here and they'd never have to see him again.

* * *

"Something wrong?" Zev asked, as Luke crawled into the tent and started shoving his belongings aside.

"Obstacle courses are out, kayaking is out, swimming is out. Everything is out except reading some of the commander's books!"

Luke sunk onto his sleeping bag, and buried his face in the pillow.

"That _is_ bad," Zev agreed. "His books are full of propaganda."

"I don't know what that is, but it sounds boring," Luke mumbled. "By the way, what do you know about Jedi?"

"Enough to know you move like one," Zev said, carefully.

"How did I move?" Luke asked, sitting up.

"Like ... I don't know, but I've seen hundreds of cadets complete that obstacle course, and no one could do it like that. It was like the obstacles meant nothing to you."

"I've had gymnastics training at school," Luke explained. "That's all." He paused for a moment, and then continued. "I know next to nothing about Jedi. My father used to be one, but he doesn't talk about that. But he says the Sith are like the Jedi, only more powerful."

"What do you want to know?" Zev asked, quietly.

"Everything," Luke said, also lowering his tone. "Why are we whispering?"

"Because Jedi are considered enemies and traitors of the state," Zev said. "Showing an interest in them is not encouraged."

"I'm not interested in all the politics," Luke said. "I just want to understand who they were. They were supposed to be so powerful, yet they were all killed."

"Many people, like my father, believe the Jedi deserved to be murdered," Zev said, sounding a little ashamed. "He didn't agree with their philosophy. He thinks it was evil. But some of it makes a lot of sense to me. I apply it to my own life."

"Like what?" Luke said, interested.

"They rejected feelings of anger, hate, jealously and greed. I know if I gave in to hating my father, it would destroy me. Sometimes I can't help but feel angry, but nothing good ever comes of it. My father, on the other hand, takes enjoyment from hating the Rebels. It's made him cold."

"Wow," Luke said. "Boy, my father has a done a complete turnaround. He's like the anger capital of the galaxy."

"Don't tell him that you heard any of this from me," Zev said, sounding nervous.

"Don't worry, I won't get within fifty meters of my father with a conversation like this."

There was silence for a moment, while Luke mulled over everything he'd learnt. The subject of the Force was a touchy one between he and his father. For once, the reluctance to talk about it wasn't coming from his father's side, but from his own. His father had always been willing to answer any questions he had, and it was one of the few subjects he enjoyed talking about. But those conversations always seemed to move on to talk of power and a future Luke wasn't sure he wanted to be part of. His father always stressed that his Force sensitivity had marked him for a galaxy-changing destiny.

But he had also made clear that any powers he had were only potential at the moment, and training was required before they could be put to any use. So what of today's incident? It made him both angry and frightened. Angry at the idea that maybe his father hadn't been entirely truthful with him, yet also frightened at the thought that maybe he had. The latter would mean the mysterious condition he had inherited was not behaving as it was meant to. At any rate, he wasn't going to ask his father. He would rather not know.

Luke became aware that Zev was staring at him in an odd way.

"Do _you_ have Force powers?" his friend asked, suddenly. "Just like your father?"

"No," Luke said, lying back on his bed. He rolled over to face the tent wall. "I'm drained. 'Night."

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

**Chapter 7**

* * *

As it turned out, any physical activities were off the agenda for all the cadets the next day. Luke first became aware of a strange pattering sound on the tent roof in the early hours of the morning. It confused him at first, until he crawled sleepily over to the tent opening and found a growing puddle of water below where they'd left a small space for air. He sealed the tent completely, and went back to sleep.

When Zev's alarm went off, it was clear the rain wasn't letting up anytime soon. If anything, it was heavier. There was so much mud and water outside, they had to wear boots and rain shields just to walk the short distance to the refreshers.

"Does this mean we get a day off?" Luke asked, jumping over a puddle.

"No," Zev said. "It means we're going to spend the day in the classroom."

Commander Hayge took the morning session. In anticipation of sleep-inducing boredom, Luke had brought in a pillow from the tent, and had purposely sat in a seat in the back row. As it turned out, he didn't need to use it. The subject was snub fighter combat, something that fascinated him no end. He ended up asking the most questions.

He was still talking excitedly about the last battle they had studied over lunch, causing Zev to hint politely that he was trying to read. He found a more willing audience in Commander Hayge, who stopped him on his way back from returning the pillow to the tent.

"I noticed you enjoyed my class, Cadet," he said, standing under the shelter to avoid the rain.

Luke nodded. "I want to be a pilot myself someday."

"Ah, like your father. I seem to recall you told me you had no plans for your life."

Luke shrugged. "I do have a few. Be a pilot, fly everywhere and see the galaxy."

"I have many databooks on piloting if you'd like to borrow them. I was a reconnaissance pilot for a good many years, until I moved on into command."

"I'd like that," Luke said. "My father won't teach me to fly. Yet, anyhow. He says I'm too immature."

"Well, you have a good many years ahead of you," the commander said, patting his shoulder as he walked on past him.

Luke stared after him for a moment, and then walked on towards the conference room they were assigned to for the afternoon. The commander was taking an interest in him, well beyond that he took in the other cadets. Was it because he genuinely liked him, or was it because of his father? It was one of the things Luke found endlessly frustrating about his parentage.

He entered the conference room, and found most of the cadets were already seated. He made his way over to the row occupied by Team Loyalty, and took a seat between Zev and Bo. It didn't take a mind probe to figure out something was wrong.

"What's happening?" Luke said, staring down the row. The cadets were resting with their heads on their elbows or lying flat on the desks.

"Torture is supervising," Zev explained.

When the lieutenant finally entered, he was carrying a holovid tape. He didn't look at the cadets. Instead, he proceeded straight to the machine to load up the tape, but the cadets straightened up anyway. As he turned around, the big overhead screen lit up behind him.

"This training vid lasts for eighty minutes," he said. "Afterwards, there will be a test, so pay attention!"

He took a seat at the side, and then fast-forwarded the datatape on to the start of the film.

"Please be about starfighters," Luke whispered.

Huge letters filled the screen. PACIFICATION.

"I've seen this one," Zev sighed.

There was some ominous music over the credits, which Luke vaguely recognized as an Imperial battle song. Finally, a stormtrooper stepped in from the left, and began an introduction.

"Welcome, fellow subjects of the Emperor. I am KB-639 and today we're going to learn about the process of pacification. Haven't you ever wondered how the Empire manages to turn worlds like this -"

There was a cut to wide shots of a barren desert. Luke thought he recognized Tatooine.

"- to worlds like this?"

The image changed to a planet bustling with factories, farms and smiling people.

"Today, we're going to find out. It all starts in the Imperial Senate ..."

Luke felt his eyes glazing over, and he stared out the window. The rain was still pouring down. It never rained for this long on Coruscant. He sighed, wishing he hadn't been so hasty about returning that pillow to the tent. He could use it right now.

A formation of TIE Fighters flew across the screen, and Luke began daydreaming about flying. Maybe his father was out there flying right now. Maybe he would let him have his own ship one day. Even better, maybe he would let him have his own custom-built starfighter, just like his. Luke spent a good twenty minutes mentally designing such a ship, until he was distracted by a sudden change in voice on the film.

"Primitive natives are often fiercely territorial." It was some kind of scientist. "They will willingly die rather than adapt to a better environment."

The stormtrooper host returned, now standing in the middle of a vast forest.

"For this reason, it is often better to remove all the natives before establishing an Imperial outpost. These forests used to be home to a species of parasitical cannibals that disrupted the food chain. Now, thanks to the efforts of the brave men in squadron 560, these forests have become the primary source of valuable minerals and the home of more than five thousand Imperial citizens."

"Where do they put the natives after removing them?" Luke asked Zev. "Do they put them on another planet?"

"Remove means slaughter," Zev whispered back.

Luke was surprised. He glanced from the screen to Zev a few times, and then said, "Seriously?"

Suddenly, the film froze. The lieutenant stood up, and turned to stare directly at them.

"Cadet Veers, would you care to share your opinion with the rest of us?"

Everyone turned around to stare at Zev.

"I ... uh ... it was nothing, sir. I was just explaining ... what they were saying, sir."

"I will see you in my office, first thing after class. Does anyone else have anything to say?"

The other cadets were deathly silent. But Luke just couldn't help himself.

"I was just asking him a question," Luke said. "I didn't understand what they meant by removing the natives. Zev explained it to me."

The lieutenant stared at him for a moment, and Luke could feel the tension increasing. Bo was shuffling uncomfortably like he wanted to hide under the desk.

"And how did Cadet Veers explain it?" he asked, with a hard edge to his voice.

Luke opened his mouth to reply, but then hesitated. He glanced at Zev, looking for some guidance. Zev answered for him.

"I said they kill them, sir."

"And do you think that is a good idea, Cadet Veers?"

Zev looked sick, but he nodded and said, "Yes, sir."

"I _don't_," Luke interrupted. "That's terrible. Invading someone's planet and killing everybody is wrong. How can they possibly justify that? This film is a big pile of bantha -"

"Cadet Skywalker," the lieutenant said, firmly.

"Well, it is," Luke said. "Can't we watch something else? Something with some starfighter action?"

"What we are watching is not open for discussion."

"Why not?"

There was a tense silence for a few seconds. The lieutenant seemed at a loss to know how to reply. Luke sat back in his seat, folding his arms. Bo was staring at him with a mix of awe and apprehension, while Zev was rubbing his forehead like he'd just driven a speeder into a tree.

"Cadet Skywalker," the lieutenant said, finally, "may I have a word with you outside?"

Luke hesitated for a moment, and then stood up. Everyone in the room stared at him as he walked down the side of the room towards the door.

The lieutenant watched him until he was beside the door, and then turned to the rest of the class.

"If I hear one cough out of any of you, that person will be joining Cadet Veers in my office after class."

He set the film going again, and then joined Luke outside. He gestured for Luke to follow him as he walked further away from the conference room door. When he turned to face him, Luke folded his arms, preparing to start arguing again. This officer may be a cold-hearted bully, but he had nothing on his father when it came to intimidation.

When he spoke, he sounded more weary than angry. "Cadet," he said, calmly, "I have the greatest respect for your father, and I know he will have taught you loyalty to our Emperor. I am going to assume that you were only trying to cause a stir, and you didn't really mean what you said."

"Of course I meant it," Luke said. "Invading someone's planet and killing people is wrong."

"What the film was trying to explain is that sometimes you have a group of people on a planet who are detrimental to the Imperial cause. They have their own agenda that is in conflict with the goals of the Empire. The only option is to remove them."

"Couldn't there be another way?" Luke said. "A way which didn't involve killing? Maybe the Empire could sign a treaty with native groups so they could both use the planet."

"The Empire signs many treaties with peaceful people. Unfortunately, there are those in the galaxy who will spread disorder and chaos wherever they are. Do you think the Rebel Alliance would ever sign a treaty with the Empire?"

"I don't know," Luke sighed. "Look, Zev was just answering a question that _I_ asked him. Why is he the one in trouble and not me?"

"You are in trouble. That is why we are talking out here."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Believe me, I have been in trouble. And this is not it."

The lieutenant relented. "Cadet Veers has allowed himself to be led astray by liberal academics and their pretentious theories. He is a Rebel sympathizer who needs to be taught a lesson."

"A Rebel what?"

"Next time you have a question about the workings of the Empire, ask myself or one of the other officers. Cadet Veers will distort the truth."

"But he was the one who told me the truth," Luke said. "It was the film that was trying to sugarcoat things."

"He told you the truth the way the Rebels want you to believe it."

"I don't care about the Rebels," Luke said, becoming impatient. "All I'm saying is that I was the one who asked Zev a question, so he shouldn't be in trouble for answering it. Why are you always picking on him? It's not fair!"

The lieutenant sighed, and straightened his hat.

"Your friend Veers is traveling down a very dangerous road. He requires a firm hand to keep him on the straight and narrow. If you truly wish to defend him, you will let him face the consequences of his actions. That is all I have to say on the matter. Now, come on back inside."

Luke stood firm. "I'm not watching any more of that boring film."

"Then spend the afternoon alone in your tent, if you prefer."

Luke turned and walked off without another word. The lieutenant stared after him for a moment, and then Luke heard him return to the classroom.

He felt guilty, and more than a little angry. He should never have spoken to Zev in the first place. He should have known Torture would jump on him. Stars, he was starting to loathe this place. How much longer could he stand it? Luke stomped in a few puddles on his way back to the tent, not caring if he made his uniform dirty.

Eventually, he passed the administrative block, and came to a halt. Commander Hayge's office was in here. Maybe he could ask him about speaking to his father. He was just about ready to get down on his knees and beg him to take him back.

He climbed up the stairs, and walked past a deactivated protocol droid. The door to the commander's office was already open, and he could see him working at his desk inside. He looked up when Luke came into view.

"Uh, sir, can I talk to you for a minute?" Luke asked.

"Of course, Cadet."

Luke walked into the office, and sat in one of the chairs.

"I was wondering ... I know we're only supposed to use the holocom on the weekends, but I didn't manage to talk to my father last time, because he had left Coruscant. I want to see if he's come back yet."

"At any other time you could, Cadet, but this bad weather has disrupted communications. It should have passed over by tomorrow."

"Oh," Luke said, sadly. This day was not going in his favor. "I'll try tomorrow, then." He started to stand up, but then remembered something else. "You said earlier that you had some databooks on piloting - would it be okay if I borrowed them now? I need something to do for the rest of the afternoon."

"Certainly, you will find the library right across the hall," the commander said, pointing. "They're organized by subject, so try under flight techniques."

Luke turned to leave, but the commander spoke again.

"I thought your team was with Lieutenant Tancher this afternoon."

"Uh ... they are," Luke said, turning back. "I ... uh ... he let me leave because ... I was bored."

The commander nodded, and returned to his work. Luke breathed a sigh of relief as he walked across into the library. There was nothing he wanted to avoid more than another discussion about the film.

The library was well-stocked, and Luke had gathered a stack of interesting databooks within a few minutes. As he rested them on the table, with the intent to sort them into a more manageable pile, he noticed there was a holoprojector sitting in an open drawer. It was none of his business, and probably something private, which made it near irresistible. He looked around to make sure he was alone, and then picked it up.

It hummed and then lit up with a bright holographic display. Luke studied it for a moment, and then understanding came quickly. It was a map of the campsite and surrounding area. Just as he was starting to pinpoint recognizable parts of the camp, he heard a noise behind him and quickly shut it off. He turned around, and saw it was just the protocol droid wandering past the door.

Luke pocketed the map, and picked up his stack of databooks. His afternoon was starting to look a whole lot better.

* * *

Vader had avoided meditation since his four-day mishap. At any rate, he felt fully rested and alert, more so than he'd felt in weeks. Perhaps that was the cause of all this. Simple weariness. This break from Luke was probably doing him a lot of good. But he couldn't help but wonder about the boy. He checked his messages regularly, but there was nothing to say whether he was enjoying himself or wanting to come home. If the latter was the case, he would have undoubtedly heard by now. Luke was never one for keeping quiet when something was not to his liking.

It was a welcome distraction when a high-priority message came through. Vader only had to glance at the subject to know this was something that required his immediate attention. The sender was Boba Fett. He moved over to the secured-channel holocom, and entered Fett's frequency. He hadn't been expecting to hear from him for another week.

The bounty hunter answered immediately.

"Lord Vader."

"Fett. How goes your hunt?"

"Captain Flenn had fled by the time I reached his residence. Seems I was five hours too late."

The meaning was clear to Vader. Luke's so-called adventurous streak was having far-reaching consequences.

"Fled where? To the Rebellion?"

"Yes. But I have some good news. The ship he is on will be taking on supplies at a certain location at a certain time in the very near future."

"How do you know this?" Vader asked, suspicious.

"Their freight-hauler is an independent for hire. Not above selling information."

"What guarantee do you have of the accuracy of this information?"

"None. But my contact thinks I needed the information only to make a capture myself. She also knows misleading me will be worth her life. Besides, at worst you will only wait in empty space for a few hours for a ship that isn't coming. At best, you will get your stolen ship back and a crew full of Rebels. Sounds like good odds to me."

"Especially considering, if we succeed, you will gain the market bounty for every Rebel we capture or kill," Vader said, dryly.

"And the ship," Fett said. "Don't forget the reward for the ship."

* * *

Zev returned to the tent half an hour before dinner. He had to step carefully over the commander's databooks, which had leaked onto his side of the tent. Luke hastily gathered them up.

"Sorry about what happened," he said, quickly. "How did it go?"

"As bad as ever," Zev said. "But don't worry about it."

His voice sounded even more disinterested than usual, which was certainly saying something. He sank down onto his sleeping bag, and stuck the pillow over his head.

Luke decided he should try and distract him.

"I've been reading this book about the clone wars," Luke said, holding it up. "I thought I should do some more research into what we were talking about the other night."

Zev removed the pillow, suddenly nervous. "You didn't tell the commander we were talking about the Jedi, did you?"

"Of course not," Luke said.

"Good, because Torture said I'm not allowed to mention anything political to you again. He said you've been misled, and your father is going to want to know where you picked up your ideas."

"No, he isn't," Luke said. "He doesn't care about my ideas about the Empire - he just says everything will make sense when I'm older."

"Your father doesn't care if you aren't supportive of the Empire?" Zev said, gaping. "But he's ... the commander of the military. He's the Emperor's liaison with the Grand Moff's. Stars, he helped Palpatine make it the Empire in the first place."

Luke shrugged. "He doesn't take any of my opinions seriously, whether about the Emperor or about what color to paint a speeder. He just thinks I'm a child."

"Still ... my father would rather I was anything but disloyal to the Emperor. He could handle deranged murderer better than traitor."

"I don't know if my father is completely loyal to the Emperor himself," Luke said. "He's never said anything, but I know he disagrees with some of his decisions. I know they disagreed strongly about me."

"Why?" Zev said, looking more interested than Luke had ever seen him. Luke wondered if he really should be divulging this, but he couldn't go back now.

"The Emperor did not want me to live with my father."

"I guess he sees you as a threat."

Luke nodded.

"It must be interesting," Zev said, lying back. "Living in the heart of the Empire ... seeing all the most important decisions being made around you. Knowing you'll be part of it all one day."

"I don't notice," Luke said. "Maybe you should come and stay with me sometime, and you'll see how boring it can get. And my father wonders why I have accidents." Luke looked back at his databook. "And speaking of that, every time my father is mentioned in here, it's because of some crazy exploit. I need to start taking notes so I can use it against him in our next argument."

Zev grinned. "What's that?" he said, pointing at a rotating hologram.

"A map of the whole planet," Luke said. "Did you know there's an old abandoned spaceport about five kilometers from here?"

"It's not abandoned," Zev said.

"It says on the map it is."

"Crepes once saw a ship landing out there with some macro-binoculars. An officer said Imperial freight-haulers sometimes use it to make temporary landings."

"Wouldn't it be great to go and explore it?" Luke said. "We could sneak out there tonight after dinner. No one would miss us."

"Whatever you say, Luke," Zev said, sounding sarcastic.

"I'm serious," Luke said. "Come on, I feel like being impulsive."

"I attract Torture's attention enough when I'm keeping the rules, Luke. If I started breaking them ... I don't even want to think about it."

Luke was about to argue, but then something stirred in his memory.

_You lead your friend into danger without a second thought._

Luke frowned in frustration. He so badly wanted to leave, but he didn't want to prove his father right. Besides, Zev did have a point. The last thing Luke wanted was to get his friend into more trouble. But it was so tempting ... he'd been cooped up in this place for what felt like weeks, and he was getting restless. Sometimes it felt like there was a whole galaxy out there, passing him by, and if he didn't get up and do something he'd never find out what he was missing.

He struggled with his conflicting desires for a few seconds, before relenting.

"You're right. I shouldn't have suggested it. Come on, let's go eat."

* * *

Luke was melancholy over dinner, trying not to think about everywhere else he'd like to be. The other members of Team Loyalty were still talking about the incident with Lieutenant Tancher. Luke did not want to relive it. Neither did Zev, but Havy was having too much fun to pay attention to their reluctance.

"I loved it when Luke said 'why not?'" he said, filling up his glass. "The expression on Torture's face was priceless. He really wanted to yell but he knew he couldn't."

"I liked it when he said that invading someone's planet and killing people is wrong," Lamber said. "I wish I could say that and get away with it."

"I wish Torture had lost his temper," Crepes said. "I wish he'd just snapped and told Luke to get out."

"He did tell me to get out," Luke said, pushing vegetables around his plate.

"No. He politely asked you to have a word outside. I mean I wish he'd really snapped and hit you or something."

"Thanks a lot," Luke said, frowning.

"I don't mean that," Crepes explained. "I mean, if he caned you, your father would strangle him and we'd be rid of him."

Luke choked on his vegetables, and coughed some of them back onto his plate.

"You think I'd tell my father about something like that?!" Luke said, when he was able.

"I would, if Lord Vader was my father," Crepes said. "I'd get him to choke everyone I didn't like. Why, don't you?"

"You hutt-faced sleemo!" Luke said, losing his temper. It had been a frustrating day, and it was taking its toll. "Torture's a pain, but I don't want him dead!"

"Hey, relax!" Crepes said.

"You think I like the idea of my father going around killing people?!" Luke found himself standing up, but he didn't remember when he'd done so.

Everyone at the nearby tables had fallen silent at this point. Some had stood up to get a better view. Havy and Zev were staring at him in surprise, while Bo had shifted back from the table.

"Sorry, but I thought you'd be used to that kind of thing," Crepes said, looking nervous. "Your father must have strangled hundreds of -"

"You know _nothing_ about my father!" Luke said, pointing at Crepes, who hastily stood up. "Shut up before _I_ strangle you!"

Crepes took a step backward, but bumped into someone behind him. Luke looked up to find Torture had appeared, right on cue. That was the _last_ thing he needed.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, completely oblivious.

Luke didn't trust himself to respond in any way resembling politeness, so he simply slumped down into his seat. Stars, he was starting to lose it. This place was slowly but surely crushing him.

"Just a minor disagreement, sir," Havy said, his voice shaking slightly. "It's over now."

"A minor disagreement about what?" He walked around the table until he was standing next to Zev, who was sitting in his usual spot at the other end. "Cadet Veers, explain to me what your teammates were arguing about!"

"Uh ..." Zev looked blank. "Sir, I ... I wasn't really paying attention."

"You never pay attention to your surroundings. That is precisely the problem here, Cadet. The commander assigned you to watch out for Cadet Skywalker, not to sit there daydreaming. I will see you in my office after dinner."

It was the final straw for Luke. "You're blaming him?" he whispered, incredulous. He spoke louder, so the officer could hear him. "You're blaming him because I was arguing with someone else? I don't _believe_ you!"

He didn't receive any reply for a few seconds, and he once again felt everyone was staring at him. People had stopped eating, and knives and forks remained poised in mid-air as people waited to see how this confrontation would turn out.

"Cadet, perhaps you need an early night," the lieutenant suggested.

"Arg!" Luke cried, kicking the table. He stormed off, pushing past people in his way until the door of the dining hall came into sight. Once he was outside, he started running, although the wet muddy grass made for slow progress. He couldn't even see properly he was so angry. Was this how his father felt when he was frustrated? He just wanted to break something ... anything would do.

He came to a halt next to the row of camp air-speeders. He tried all of them until he found one that was unlocked, and then he slipped into the pilot's seat. Unfortunately, it was key operated, and he didn't have the right tools to attempt to hotwire it. Instead, he rested his head against the steering controls, and let himself calm down.

Sometimes, it helped to think about why he was angry. Was he angry at Crepes for touching on a very sore point between he and his father? Was he angry at Torture - someone whose life he'd been defending a moment earlier, who had then threatened Zev and patronized him by suggesting he was simply tired? Or was he angry with himself for getting Zev in trouble, once again?

He needed to get away from here.

A nearby voice caused him to look up and stare into the darkness. He could just make out two figures standing at the bottom of the stairs into the administration building. They were talking in hushed, serious tones.

"He was threatening to strangle one of the cadets."

Torture ... he had to be talking to the commander. The second voice confirmed Luke's suspicions.

"Are you sure?"

"I heard him, sir. He was very angry about something, but none of the cadets would tell me what. Not even the one he threatened to choke. I think they're frightened of him."

"Even Veers?"

"Veers claims he wasn't paying attention to their argument, which I can almost believe."

The commander was silent for a moment. "This is a very delicate situation," he said, finally.

"Perhaps you should talk to Skywalker, sir. Find out what's troubling him."

"I already know. He wants to speak to his father. He _needs_ his father ... it was clear from the first conversation we had that his problem was a lack of fatherly attention. Just like Veers. No wonder they get on so well."

Luke rolled his eyes. Adults always thought they knew exactly what was wrong, no matter how clueless they were. Fatherly attention ... he was fourteen years old, for stars sake. The idea was embarrassing.

"I'll contact Lord Vader and discuss the situation," the commander continued. "At the very least, I'll find out whether the other cadets are truly in danger from Skywalker."

Luke was just about ready to step out of the speeder and start hurling abuse in the officers' direction. If the cadets were in danger from anyone, it was Torture, not him! What really irked was the fact the commander had told him earlier that he couldn't contact his father due to the bad weather. A lie! And to add insult to injury, he was going to tell his father about all the 'trouble' he'd been causing.

His hand fumbled for the door release, his mind already racing with all the words he was going to defend himself with. The speeder door sprang open, and he stumbled out ... only to find himself nearly standing on another cadet. In a second, he recognized Zev. His teammate pulled him down out of sight.

Luke stared at him in surprise, and then glanced around the edge of the speeder. Torture and the commander had now parted ways, and he could see the lieutenant walking back to the dining hall. The commander must have returned to his office.

"What are you doing here?!" Luke asked.

"Looking for you," Zev explained. "Torture sent me to check on you. You weren't in the tent. I heard the speeder door slam, so I came over here."

"I don't need 'checking' on," Luke said, bitterly. "Tell him to check on himself."

"Crepes said he was sorry," Zev said, carefully. "I know he's a nerfherder, but sometimes I think he can't help it. He's got some mutated gene which means everything that comes out of his mouth is annoying."

Luke stood up. "I have to go and talk to the commander. He's going to talk to my father, and -"

Zev interrupted him. "I was hoping you might still be interested in visiting that spaceport."

"You mean ... you want to come with me?"

"I want to get out of here," Zev said, forcefully.

Luke stared into the darkness of the nearby trees for a moment, feeling his earlier urge to be impulsive return. Sneaking away from the campsite by the light of the moons was the closest he could get to adventure on this harmless world. Something was still holding him back, however.

"I don't want to get you in any more trouble," Luke said. "That's all I seem to do."

"I'm already in trouble," Zev said. "Remember? Believe me, it can't get any worse. I should have said yes when you asked me before."

Luke thought about it for a moment. Despite his lingering doubt, he knew it wasn't even a question of yes or no. He'd wanted to get away from here the moment his father had mentioned it.

"You know ... if the spaceport really isn't abandoned, we don't have to come back at all," Luke said.

"Do you know how to fly a ship?" Zev asked, curiously.

"Fly a ship? Are you kidding?" Luke said, walking quickly towards their tent. "I can fly anything with an engine. Pack your things - we're leaving!"

Zev joined him, matching his rapid pace. "I don't know what it is about you," he said. "But no matter how crazy your ideas are, they inspire me with confidence."

"It's a family trait," Luke said, thinking back to his father's lecture about leadership.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

**Chapter 8**

* * *

When Vader stepped onto the bridge, he didn't miss the pained looks on the faces of the crew. Ungrateful, considering he was about to reassign them from endless inspection duties to a possible board and capture operation. The captain looked up as he approached the navigation terminal, and made a fairly good effort to look stoic.

"Sir."

"Captain," Vader said, handing him a datachip. "Set your course for these co-ordinates. And prepare for a possible boarding operation."

The captain glanced at the screen. "You mean ... a _Rebel_ boarding operation, sir?"

"Yes." He raised his voice slightly. "This is your crew's opportunity to _impress_ me, instead of sweating and shaking every time I step onto the bridge."

"Please forgive them, sir," the captain said. "They have not had much experience in combat, but I assure you, they will perform to the very highest standard."

"If not, it will be _your_ life on the line, Captain," Vader said. "This operation must not fail."

An ensign approached him at that point, trying very hard to appear relaxed. He was only a few years out from the academy, but from Vader's observations, he appeared to be in charge of communications. Nothing would surprise him.

"Lord Vader, sir, we have an incoming communication request. Commander Hayge, overseer of the young cadet training camp, requests an audience with you."

_Luke_ ... Vader immediately stretched out, seeking his son's presence. Luke still burned brightly in the Force.

"I will take it in my quarters," Vader said, already walking for the elevators. He could only hope this was simply a matter of keeping him informed as to Luke's progress, rather than anything serious. But in all honesty, he wouldn't be surprised if Luke had managed to reduce the camp to a smoking crater.

* * *

Once he and Zev had reached the lakeside, Luke had led them north along the riverbank. The forest grew thicker and wilder as they moved further away from the campsite. It had been twilight when they'd left, but it was fast becoming dark. The trees were black shapes against a gray sky, and full of the squeaks and chirps of nocturnal animals. Luke had been starting to wonder if following the river was a good idea, but then Zev had spotted a boat, wedged between a couple of dead trees that had fallen into the river. Between them, they managed to drag it free, and they continued on water.

"Is there any chance of finding a waterfall around the next bend?" Luke asked. He was standing at the front of the boat, pushing them along with a stick, while Zev stood at the back.

"You're the one with the map," Zev said.

"There are no waterfalls on the map," Luke said. "It's just in all the stories I've heard, when the heroes are in a boat on a river, there's always a waterfall ahead."

"I think we're moving upstream," Zev said, looking around. "How much further, anyway?"

Luke switched on the map, causing a bright green glow. Night insects instantly buzzed toward it.

"Not far," Luke said. "I think the forest should clear soon."

The boat came to a sudden halt, causing Luke to nearly lose his balance. He tried to push forward, and then realized Zev had jammed his stick in the riverbed.

"What's wrong?"

"Didn't you see that? There's a shield in front of us!"

Luke looked ahead. About three meters in front, there was a sudden glow as an insect flew into a shield. It spread across two relay points on either side of the river.

"It's the security shield," Zev said. "I forgot about that. They only turn it on at night ... or maybe they've realized we're missing, and they're out looking for us."

"How deep is the water?" Luke asked. "It can't extend under the water. Maybe we could swim under it."

"I'm not getting in there," Zev said, looking down at the water. "There are probably giant snakes at the bottom."

Luke stared at the murky depths, considering. It didn't look very appealing, but maybe it was just the darkness.

"I'll go first," he said. He was about to jump in, when Zev stopped him.

"Wait! What about our stuff?"

Luke glanced at it, seeing Zev's point. They'd have to take that under as well, and water wouldn't mix well with the locator beacon. Or the map, for that matter.

"Pass me my multi-tool," Luke said. "It's hanging off my backpack. I'll see if I can switch off one of the relays."

"If they're looking for us, that will let them know where we are," Zev said. Despite his concerns, he still handed Luke the multi-tool.

"I don't think they're looking," Luke said, guiding the boat over toward the bank. "I can't sense anyone nearby."

"You can't _sense_ anyone?" Zev enquired.

Luke stepped out onto the bank, and began inspecting the relay. "I can tell when people are near," Luke explained. "They have an effect on the environment. You just have to know what to listen for."

He pried open a panel, and immediately a circuit fell out. It appeared it hadn't been maintained in years, as it was half rusted. This should make things easier.

"When you were angry in the dining hall," Zev said. "The plates around you started to rattle. No one else noticed it, they were too busy staring at you and Crepes."

Luke paused for a moment, thinking, and then resumed working. "Probably just the wind. Or maybe a speeder was flying over."

A spark jumped from the circuit, and suddenly the shield flickered a few times. Luke poked it again, and the shield disappeared across the river.

"Go now," Luke said. "Take the boat through."

Zev did so. As soon as the boat was safely on the other side, Luke reconnected the circuit and stuck it back in its rightful place. The shield shimmered back across the river, forming a barrier between he and Zev.

"How are you going to-?"

"I'll be right there," Luke said, jumping into the water. It was waist-high and freezing. He could feel the water filling his boots, but he tried not to think about it. Instead, he waded over to the shield, and then took a deep breath. Plunging into the dark, murky water was horrible. He shut his eyes tight, held his nose, and waded forward as quickly as possible. When he broke through the water surface, he found he'd overshot the boat.

Zev reached out a hand, and helped drag him back up. The boat rocked back and forth erratically as Luke climbed back in, and Zev had to sit down to avoid falling out. Once he was safely in, Luke did his best to squeeze the water out of his clothes and hair, while Zev pushed the boat onwards.

"The forest is starting to clear," Zev said, finally.

Luke was busy tugging off his left boot. "Watch out for a hill. That's when we need to get out." He turned his boot upside down and poured the water out. Some kind of crab came out too. He hastily did the same with the other boot, not wanting to know what could have found its way in there.

"There's a hill," Zev said, pointing ahead. "Is that it?"

"We're there!" Luke said, excitedly.

Zev guided the boat over to the bank, and they climbed out into the mud. The ground was still waterlogged from the rainstorm earlier that day, and their boots made slurping and squelching noises as they made their way to the base of the nearby hill. It became easier when they reached the grass.

Luke shivered with cold as a gust of wind sliced straight through his wet clothes. He had some spares in his pack, but they didn't have time to stop and change. Zev would look back every minute or so, and Luke knew he was worrying about any unseen pursuers.

"Well, one thing's for sure," Luke whispered, walking closer to Zev. "That spaceport definitely isn't abandoned."

"How can you tell?" Zev asked.

"Listen."

Zev fell silent. There was another gust of wind, and then Luke saw his friend's expression light up. There were voices in the distance. Not the crisp, militaristic voices of the camp officers, but the rough accented basic of run-of-the-mill spacers.

When they reached the top of the hill, they sunk low to the ground, and crawled over to a small bush. The space port was situated in the valley below, lit with a single flood light. It was really just a wide circular landing pad, surrounded by stacks and stacks of crates. There was a small freighter on the tarmac, and three small figures could be seen loading things into the cargo bay.

"Who do you think they are?" Luke whispered.

"Not Imperials," Zev said. "No hats. Imperial freight haulers always have hats. One of them is a woman."

"Smugglers?"

"Possibly."

"Let's stow aboard their ship."

"You think we can do that without being seen?"

"Sure," Luke said. "No problem. I've done it before."

"What if they see us?"

"They won't. We'll get out at the next spaceport, and find our way from there."

Zev nodded.

"Follow me," Luke said, shuffling along the ground. They made their way around the hill until the ship was between them and the smugglers, and then they ran quickly down the slope. Zev wanted to stop to see what was in some of the crates, but Luke was determined to get onto the ship quickly. The ship was a simple design, with loading bays on either side. Both were currently wide open. The starboard side of the ship was already full with crates.

The smugglers were still around the other side, and they could hear them talking loudly. Luke gestured to Zev to stick close, and they crept across the tarmac towards the loading bay. Within a minute, they had nestled in safely between a few crates.

They remained silent for the next few minutes. Luke sensed someone was walking around their side of the ship. The thought briefly crossed his mind that they could be planning to unload all these crates they were hidden amongst, but his thought was cut off by a loud crash, followed by darkness. They had closed the loading bay door.

"I think we made it," Luke whispered.

Zev nodded.

Within ten minutes, they heard the shudder of the engines igniting. It briefly occurred to Luke that maybe he was leading Zev into more trouble than he was leaving, but he pushed the thought away. The last thing they needed right now was doubt.

* * *

The holocom image of Commander Hayge flickered a few times, before the star destroyer's relay circuits managed to strengthen and stabilize the signal.

"Commander Hayge," Vader said, once the image was steady. "Bad weather on Kawai?"

"A storm passed over this morning, sir," the commander confirmed. "Slightly better now, but still clouded over."

"How is my son? I trust he has not been causing trouble."

"Not at all, sir. However, we are concerned about him. I must ask you a question, sir. I understand if you consider this none of my business ... sir, does your son possess the same abilities that you do? The power to use the Force?"

Of all the questions Vader had been expecting, that was not one of them.

"What has he done?!"

"Nothing. Yet. Nothing confirmed. He did threaten to choke someone ..."

For a moment, Vader imagined his naïve, optimistic son actually reaching the state of mind he himself possessed when crushing someone's trachea. The idea would have been repulsive if it wasn't more than a little ridiculous. Luke could be angry at times, yes, but never for long. He was too steeped in his own love for life.

"He has no power," Vader explained. "He has not been trained. Any threats would have been made in jest."

The commander appeared to visibly relax. "Understood, sir. I believe he is feeling a little claustrophobic today. The cadets have been inside due to the bad weather, and it does not appear to have been to his liking."

"Ask him if he'd rather be living on Tatooine," Vader said. "That question will relieve him of any weather-based melancholy. You can also tell him that I will not be picking him up for another three weeks, so he better get used to it."

"I will pass on your message, sir. He did want to speak to you earlier today, but the weather was too bad. Perhaps he could contact you later on tonight?"

"I will be busy for the next twenty-four hours," Vader said. "He is welcome to send text or a recorded message. If that is all, I must return to more important matters, Commander."

"Yes, sir. Thank you for your time."

Vader cut the call, and turned away from the holocom field. It was good to know Luke was safe and unharmed. Now he could concentrate on the coming battle without risk of distraction. It was time he sought some hint from the Force as to the outcome of this pending hunt.

* * *

The freighter's hyperspace journey lasted at least two hours. Luke was starting to feel hungry. Unlike Zev, he hadn't eaten dinner, as he'd stormed out after a few mouthfuls. His clothes felt disgusting, halfway between wet and dry. He was still cold, but at least there was no wind in here.

He and Zev took turns playing his flightsim hologame, and then they began playing word games. When they got bored with that, they sat in silence, listening for any sound of the engine slowing.

"It's so ironic," Zev said, finally.

"What is?"

"I've been suffering at military school for years. Years and years. It never occurred to me just to run off and leave. If you'd told me this morning that I'd be here now, I've had said you were crazy. Now, here we are."

"Here we are," Luke agreed.

"It's just ironic that out of all the people, it was Lord Vader's son that got me out of that place. I don't care if we end up back there - it's worth it, even for just these two hours. I feel great. I feel like someone who's just got out of prison after fifteen years."

The engine hum changed tone, and Luke looked up. "We're coming out of hyperspace."

"So, what's our next move?"

Luke thought for a moment. "Depends on where we are," he said. "They might be just stopping for fuel."

More noises followed, and Luke felt something jolt beneath them.

"That almost sounded like the landing struts," he said.

Ten minutes later, they were thrown against the sides of the crates, and the engines gave one last shudder. Then there was silence.

"Maybe we're on a planet," Zev whispered.

"It was too fast," Luke said. "If we were landing on a planet, there should have been a longer time between hyperspace reversion and landing."

"Fuel station then?"

"I think so."

There was a rattling noise, and a bright light filled the room. Luke and Zev shifted further behind the crates, as it became clear the loading bay door was being opened. A female voice could be heard on the other side.

"Fifty crates on this side. We've got weapons, uniforms, food supplies, medical supplies, and a bunch of holo-comics that Blue Squadron requested. Wait, that might be on the other side. I put a blue sticker on it, anyhow."

A different voice answered her. It sounded alien.

"You are a miracle worker. I think you've single-handedly assured the survival of the Rebellion in the Mathalar sector."

Luke shared a look with Zev. The Rebellion?

"Well, a job is a job. I'm hungry - where's the caf?"

"Just follow one of the pilots."

There was loud laughter.

"I'll send someone to start unloading these right away."

The voices were growing quieter, and Luke could hear footsteps moving away. As soon as they could no longer be heard, Luke stood up.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get out of here. You heard what they said."

"I can't believe the Rebels are running a supply depot five kilometers from an Imperial military camp," Zev said, shaking his head.

"I don't care," Luke said, grabbing his backpack. "We've got to get out of here."

Zev followed him as he walked carefully between the crates. When they reached the front, Luke started to wonder why this refueling station was so well lit. The outside walls appeared to be all white.

When he finally stepped out of the ship, he noticed two things. One was the clear view of space outside a huge square docking hatch at the far end of the room. The other was the entire squad of X-Wing fighters, resting in a neat row over the other side of the hangar. A couple of astromech droids were rolling around, but other than that, the room appeared mostly empty.

"Wow," Zev said, stepping out beside him. "We're on a ship! A Rebel ship!"

Luke felt his stomach twist into a knot. He was in _way_ over his head.

"Any ideas?" he said, finally. His voice sounded very unsteady.

"It's okay," Zev said, glancing at him. "They won't hurt us. I'm going to ask if I can join them."

"Join them?" Luke said. "Wait, what about me? I ... I've got to get back to Coruscant."

"They could drop you off at the next spaceport," Zev said. "Then you could catch a transport back."

"You're talking about these people like they're your relatives," Luke said. "These are _Rebels_. They fight the Empire. They'll toss us out the airlock." Luke pointed at the Imperial logo on Zev's uniform. "Especially when they see that."

"No, they won't." Zev hastily reached up to rip it off anyway. "They're not like that. They're just ordinary people fighting for an end to the Emperor's rule."

"You seem to know a lot about them," Luke said, glancing around nervously. They were standing out here in the open, and someone could come back any minute.

Zev shrugged. "I always planned to join them. I just thought it would be when I was older."

"Zev, I bet these people _hate_ my father," Luke said, quietly. "What if they recognize me? They could - someone's coming!"

He pulled Zev back into the freighter, and they ducked down behind some crates. They heard footsteps, and then a voice.

"Okay, I know you're in there! Come out slowly and keep your hands visible."

Zev stood up immediately. Luke followed slowly. They came into the view of a nautolan dressed in coveralls. He was holding a blaster, but he lowered it slightly when they came to a halt in front of him.

"I've been watching you two on the security cams," he said, staring at them with large, unblinking black eyes. "Who are you, where did you come from and what are you doing here?"

Luke looked at Zev. His friend cleared his throat.

"Um ... we're ... I'm ... Zev."

"Luke," Luke said, automatically.

"I want to join the Rebellion," Zev said, quickly. "We stowed away on the freighter so we could find you."

"You're dressed in uniforms," he observed.

"We've just come from a cadet training camp," Zev explained. "My father made me go. Please, I really want to join."

By this stage, more people had entered the hangar. A twi'lek female joined the nautolan. When she spoke, Luke realized she must be the freighter captain.

"What's going on, Bran?"

"You picked up a couple of stowaways."

"Who are you," she said, staring at Luke and Zev in surprise.

"I'm Zev," Zev repeated. "This is my friend Luke. We were at the cadet training camp, but I want to join the Rebellion. We stowed away on your ship to get away."

She turned to the nautolan. "The training camp is about five klicks from the depot. The Imperials are only there for a couple of months in the summer. Exclusive place - they use it for pre-officer training."

For the first time, Bran looked away from them. "You risked taking our cargo to an Imperial occupied world?!"

She shrugged. "It was the closest place to refuel."

Bran turned back to Zev and Luke. "If you want to join the Rebellion, why were you at an Imperial camp?"

"My father made me go," Zev repeated.

"What does your father do?" Bran asked.

Luke felt glad he hadn't asked him that.

"He's an Imperial officer," Zev said. "But I don't support the Empire."

"How old are you?" the freighter captain asked.

"Fifteen."

"And your friend?"

"I'm fourteen," Luke said, deciding that telling them his age might help convince them to let him go. The twi'lek only smirked at his response.

"You're kids," she said, sounding slightly amused. "Do you Rebels employ babysitters?"

"Quiet, Netti," Bran said, annoyed.

"I don't want to join," Luke insisted. "I was just helping Zev get away from the camp. You can drop me off at a spaceport."

Bran stared at him silently. Luke stared at the floor, half wanting to cover his face. Zev saved him from any further inspection, however.

"I know I'm young," Zev said. "But I've got nowhere else to go ... my father leaves me in military school all year. I've been planning to join the Rebellion as soon as I was able."

"They could be spies," Netti said. "It would be just like the Empire to use children as spies."

They'd gained two more onlookers at this stage, one of whom looked like a pilot to Luke. He was dressed in an orange flight suit.

"They're not too young - I joined at thirteen. Take them to the captain."

"I was helping out my father on supply runs at twelve," Bran agreed. "And their story makes sense." He holstered his blaster. "Zev, Luke - we're sorry for the interrogation, but we have to be careful. Follow me now."

"I understand," Zev said.

Luke had to smirk at the use of the word interrogation. He had fielded more questions from his father when he arrived home five minutes after his curfew. Not that he was complaining. As he walked beside Zev, he could still feel curious eyes watching him. Was it his imagination, or had Netti been looking at him with more suspicion than she had Zev? Never in his life had he been so grateful for his father's efforts to shelter him from the media.

* * *

Vader was staring at a rotating holographic display. It was not unlike the kind that would hang beside a baby's cradle. A large black bird filled the display, flapping its wings slowly. A smaller yellow bird was in front of it. It played music that sounded like a military march.

"Do you need any help, Lord Vader?"

Vader turned to find the Obi-Wan/Captain had appeared beside him. Vader made a noise of frustration, and turned back to the display. It was trying to tell him something about the coming battle. The larger bird was moving towards the smaller one ... hunting it, perhaps? Destroying it? Was this a vision of success?

"The Rebel ship will be captured successfully, Lord Vader," Obi-Wan said.

The yellow bird was now beside the black one, flying under its wing. It was clear, then. The black bird was the _Harbinger_, and the yellow one, the Rebel ship.

"Good."

"Don't celebrate too soon."

Vader turned around to find the Anakin apparition had joined them.

"Why?"

"The clones are missing."

"Last time I saw them, they were heading for the Rebel ship," Obi-Wan said.

"I don't care about the clones!" Vader said, turning away. "Good riddance to them!"

"They will continue to haunt you until you acknowledge what they represent," Obi-Wan said, now sounding far more like himself.

"They represent a glitch in my life support system," Vader said.

"I think they represent how helpless we feel," Anakin suggested. "It feels like there's nothing we can do to stop Luke from putting himself in danger. It feels like there are five people needing our constant attention."

"I am not helpless," Vader said, snatching his lightsaber.

"You are trying your best," Obi-Wan said.

"I don't try," Vader said, raising the blade to point at the apparition's chest. "I _do_. And I do not fail."

"You think your words don't mean anything to Luke, but they do," Obi-Wan said. "He will learn, just give him time. He's still young. He needs your guidance."

"But we fear he will never reach maturity," Anakin explained. "We've always feared the death of those we love."

Vader was vaguely aware of a headache. Obi-Wan was talking again, but now it didn't sound like him. It sounded like Qui-Gon.

"Why don't you tell Luke that? He wants to understand you better."

"Go away," Vader said. "Go away, all of you."

"He needs your patience."

The last word sounded far in the distance. His vision slowly began to clear. Objects came into focus. The bedroom door, the computer terminals in the room beyond. Vader glanced down at his hands, and found he was no longer holding his lightsaber. Of course he wasn't - he'd only grabbed it in his meditation.

He felt a deep rumble shake the floor beneath him. The ship was moving ... it must be time. If there were any truth to his vision at all, at least this coming battle would be a victory.

* * *

When they reached the captain's office, Bran pressed the door-com. Shortly afterwards, the doors slid open and Bran walked on in. Zev followed next, and Luke hung behind. He risked a quick glance at the captain. He was a middle-aged human with a beard, and appeared fairly normal. On the surface, at least. He stood up as their minder explained where they'd come from, and walked around to their side of the desk.

"Thank you for bringing them to me, Bran. You better finish unloading those supplies. I want to be back in hyperspace as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir."

Bran left. Once the doors had closed, the captain extended a hand to Zev.

"Zev! My boy, you've grown! What a surprise to see you."

"Captain Flenn?" Zev said. "What are you doing _here_?!"

"You know each other?" Luke asked. The situation was looking slightly better.

"I was at the training academy with Zev's father," the captain explained.

"He and my father used to be good friends," Zev said. "He visited us a lot after my mother died. But sir, I haven't seen you since ... my father never mentioned you'd joined the Rebellion."

"It only recently became public," the captain explained. "I've been working as a spy and double agent for many years. But there's only so long you can escape detection, I'm afraid." His gaze wandered to Luke.

"Sir, this is my friend Luke," Zev said. "He helped me get here, but he's not here to stay."

"I just need to be dropped off at a spaceport," Luke said. "That is ... if it's not any trouble. I don't want to be any trouble."

The captain studied him for a moment. "You look very familiar."

"Uh ... I have those kind of looks," Luke said.

If the captain heard the nervousness in his voice, he didn't say anything. Instead, he returned to sitting behind his desk.

"So, you really want to join us, Zev?"

"More than anything," Zev said, standing up straighter. "I know I'm young, but I'm old enough to know what I believe, and I believe in democracy and the dignity and freedom of the individual. I'll do what I can ... I can help out with odd jobs until I'm old enough to fight."

"You understand how dangerous this business is?"

Zev nodded.

"You will see death. You will see your comrades die, and you may lose your own life. Capture and torture is also a likely possibility. You will become a traitor to the state and unable to reside in any permanent address in much of the known galaxy. The Empire will put a bounty on your head, and stormtroopers will shoot you on sight. You will forfeit any possibility of a normal life. Are you sure you are ready?"

Luke was staring at the captain in surprise, wondering how anyone could willingly volunteer for such a hellish existence. He glanced at Zev, wondering if he should start talking him out of this.

"Are you trying to discourage me, sir?" Zev asked.

"I just want you to know that it's not too late. We can arrange a ride for you back to the camp, and no one need ever know you were here. But in a few hours time, it _will_ be too late."

"I've thought about this for years," Zev explained. "If I stay with the Empire, I'll continue to be fed the propaganda and lies until I'm old enough to be drafted into the navy. Then I'll have to help the Emperor oppress the galaxy. The downside to joining the Rebellion is nothing compared to that. I want to live knowing that I helped make a difference. That I tried to bring some freedom back into this galaxy. Some things are worth dying for."

The captain had been entering something into his computer while Zev was talking. Luke didn't notice at first, as he was listening to Zev's speech, but when the captain stood up, Luke began to sense something wasn't quite right. But Captain Flenn only smiled at Zev, and patted his shoulder.

"You are lucky, young Zev. I was twice your age before I realized what you know now. I only wish I was as wise when I was your age."

"Thank you, sir."

The captain turned to Luke, and suddenly produced a viewscreen from behind his back. He held it up beside Luke's face. Luke reared back in pure reflex, but it was already too late. The captain turned the screen around to show both of them. It was a holo of Luke and his father, taken in the hallways of the Imperial palace. The various arrows and viewfinder marks made it look like some kind of spy photo. Luke felt his stomach twist into a tighter knot as the meaning behind this settled in. He _knew_.

"Luke, as in Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader's son, I take it?"

"Sir, he's not here to spy," Zev said, quickly coming to his defense. "We didn't even know we were coming to a Rebel ship."

"I swear, I won't tell my father anything about this," Luke insisted, holding up his hands. "He'd kill me if he knew where I was. _Please_ let me go."

"Relax," the captain said, sitting back on his surface of his desk. "Unlike the Empire, the Rebellion does not make prisoners of its enemy's children."

Zev gave him a look that said 'I told you', but it still didn't sit right with Luke. Even if the captain didn't intend to shoot him, would every other Rebel on the ship feel the same?

"I can leave the ship right now," Luke insisted. "Just drop me at the nearest port."

"Spaceports can be dangerous places for young people. I will arrange a transport -"

Captain Flenn was cut off by a loud alarm blaring through the comm system.

Luke looked up in curiosity, and then was thrown to the floor as a shudder ran through the ship. Zev helped him up, just as the captain ran for the door, not even pausing to offer them an explanation.

"What's happening?!" Zev asked, rushing to the viewport. He never made it, as more explosions rocked the ship.

"That was blaster fire!" Luke said. He crawled over to the window, with Zev close behind. In the distant surrounding space, a formation of TIE Fighters streamed past.

"They're running for hyperspace," Zev said, as the stars began to move faster. "An Imperial ship must be on their tail."

"They're going to think we led the Empire right to them!" Luke said.

There was another explosion, and Luke grabbed the window frame for support. Outside, the stars began to slow. They were losing speed.

"Let's get out of here," Zev said.

Luke didn't argue. They ran for the corridor, and joined up with several other crewmembers running for the elevator. They crammed in the lift after them, hoping they would know the safest place to go.

"What's going on?" Luke asked the nearest one.

"A star destroyer. It's right on top of us ... they'll be boarding in the next ten minutes."

"Boarding?" Zev said. "What's going to happen?"

"Nothing for it. We're evacuating."

It soon became clear they were heading for the hangar bay. More and more crewmembers joined them on the trip down, until Luke was jammed tight against the wall. When the doors slid open on the hangar bay, Luke found a huge crowd of crew members, desperately running for various ships. The X-Wings had all gone, and Luke assumed they were providing covering fire while the smaller ships escaped. Messages were blaring over the intercom.

"_All military personnel to the upper decks_. _Techs, medics and pilots to the hangar bay. Attention, Imperial Troops will board the ship in two minutes_."

He and Zev were lost in the confusion, until a familiar face appeared beside them. It was Bran, the nautolan who'd discovered them earlier.

"Come with me, boys. I've got room for two more. It'll be tight squeeze, but we'll manage."

"I thought you'd think we were responsible for this," Zev said, running after him.

"I think Netti might have had something to do with it," he said. "She dumped the cargo and left while I was taking you to the captain."

Luke followed Zev until they were about to climb on board a small transport craft, but then he hesitated. A new message started blaring over the comm.

"_Imperial troops have boarded the ship_!"

"Luke, come on!" Zev said, looking back. He reached out a hand to help Luke climb up, but Luke backed away.

"You go. I'll stay here."

"But -"

"I'd only be taking the place of someone who is really in danger," Luke said. "I'll stay here."

"You could be killed!"

A medic carrying a piece of equipment ran up alongside Luke. "Is there room on this ship?" he asked.

"Space for one more," Luke said, stepping aside.

The medic jumped on the boarding ramp just as the engines were starting to power up.

"Good luck!" Luke called to Zev.

Then the hatch was closed, and he knew it was time to take cover. Ships were taking off all around him. He ran for the elevators, deciding to make his way to the upper levels. The intercom messages had stopped broadcasting, and now there was only static as if someone had forgotten to switch off the mic.

It took ages for the elevator to arrive. When it did, Luke was thrown into it by the sound of a loud explosion behind. He looked over his shoulder, and saw someone had blown open the main doors to the hangar. He hastily pressed a button for an upper floor, causing the doors to slide shut. There was another loud explosion, then the surface of the elevator door compressed inwards. The sounds of blaster fire could still be heard, even as the elevator began to rise.

Luke crouched down and flattened himself against the wall, listening to his heart pounding against his ribs. He needed to find someone to surrender to. Someone who wasn't a stormtrooper. They would shoot first and ask questions later. There had to be a supervising officer somewhere around. Maybe on the bridge. According to the snippets of intercom messages he'd heard, the main fight had been in the corridors leading to the bridge.

What to do after that was another story. There was only one solution for an adventure that had gone this far awry. He would have to call his father. He could only imagine what he was going to say when he said he was stuck on some ship and he needed him to come and pick him up. Luke thought about it for a moment, and then decided he'd rather call Commander Hayge. That would be the perfect solution, if only he had bothered to take note of the camp holocom frequency.

By the time the elevator reached the bridge level, he was feeling a lot braver. He stepped out confidently, and looked left and right. The bridge must be at this end somewhere. He took one step forward, then fell to the ground as a blaster shot hit the wall a few meters away from him.

"Freeze!"

Luke waved his hands in the air, and soon a stormtrooper stepped up behind him. He was dragged up and pinned against the wall.

"Identify yourself!"

"I ... I ... I'm not a Rebel!" Luke insisted. He stared down the barrel of the stormtrooper's blaster, wondering if this is where his life was going to end.

"Don't move! Why are you here?"

"I'm here by accident!" Luke said, surprised he was able to speak at all, considering how tight his throat was.

"An accident? Sure, kid," the trooper said. He did release him, though. "Keep your hands in the air."

The trooper kept his blaster trained on him, and beckoned to someone with his other hand. A second stormtrooper approached.

"Put binders on him," the first trooper ordered the second. "We'll take him to the commander."

Luke's hands were roughly grabbed and locked into a pair of binders. The second trooper pushed him forward, while the first kept his blaster pressed against his back.

Luke swallowed, feeling utterly miserable as they began to walk down the corridor. They thought he was a Rebel. He would probably end up locked up in a prison cell, unless he could convince someone he really was Lord Vader's son. The more he thought about it, the more he realized no one would ever believe him in a million years. He was really in trouble now.

As they walked quickly towards their destination, Luke saw the walls were burnt and smoking with the black remains of a blaster fight. Every so often they'd pass bodies of stormtroopers and Rebels. It made him feel nauseous. The fact that he was starving hungry, thirsty, tired and still damp didn't help.

Luke felt a tear well up in his eye as he was forced to step over the body of another fallen Rebel soldier. He would give anything to be back home now. Stars, he'd give anything to be back at the military camp. He found himself silently begging the Force to somehow make this all turn out all right. If only he could have this one chance, he would never do anything impulsive again. He would start listening to his father, and thinking before doing things and -

In an instant, all Luke's misery vanished in a sudden wave of familiarity. His head snapped up, and he swept his gaze around the corridor, seeking confirmation. It couldn't be ... that would be too good to be true. One of his stormtrooper guards reached out to guide him around a corner, and then Luke knew it wasn't just his mind playing tricks on him. There was no mistaking him - standing out starkly against the white ship walls, arms folded as he heard a report from an officer. It was the one person Luke had been longing to see.

_Father!_ _FATHER!!_

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

**Chapter 9**

* * *

The sight of his son, standing in a place that by all rational expectation was impossible for him to be, filled Vader with both surprise and fear. Was he still meditating? Had this entire board and capture operation merely been an elaborate vision, conjured by the Force? He stared at Luke, half expecting another four copies of him to come running around the corner.

_Father!_

The mental shout was repeated, and Vader knew instantly that this was indeed reality.

_Luke?! What in the galaxy_

Luke started to run forward, but his stormtrooper watchers pulled him back roughly. They pushed him forward with the tips of the blaster barrels, almost causing Vader to say something in protest. The group came to a halt in front of him and Commander Wing. Luke stared up with an unrestrained relief in his shining blue eyes, and then grinned widely. Vader could sense him trying to test his mood over their link. At the moment, he was feeling nothing but absolute and total surprise.

"Sirs, we found this one near the bridge," one stormtrooper said, completely oblivious to the family reunion going on in front of him. "He was unarmed. Should we put him in with the Rebel soldiers or with the officers?"

"A child," the commander said, staring at Luke. "How typical of the Rebel scum, my lord. Save their own skins while leaving children behind."

_I can explain!_ Luke sent, _I can explain everything!_

Vader couldn't bring himself to reply, either to Commander Wing or to his son's erratic telepathy.

"I doubt he knows much," the commander continued. "However, if he is the son of one of the Rebel officers, he could be useful as a tool to make them talk. He should be processed with the other prisoners. Do you agree, Lord Vader?"

Vader gave Luke one last disbelieving stare, and then turned to the commander.

"I am ... familiar with this particular Rebel. Leave him with me. I will interrogate him personally."

The commander turned to the troopers. "You heard Lord Vader. Return to your patrols."

The troopers saluted, and marched off down the corridor.

"Commander, I will leave this ship in your hands," Vader said. "Take what crew you need, and see about making any necessary repairs. The _Harbinger_ will provide escort to the Fondor ship yards, and then return to Coruscant."

"As you wish, my lord. I estimate we will be ready to detach in an hour. I will return to the bridge and supervise from there."

The commander saluted, and walked past Luke. Vader noticed he gave Luke a slightly sympathetic look as he passed by, clearly thinking he was going to be in for something very unpleasant. _You have no idea_, Vader thought, meeting his son's gaze. His surprise had reduced, and had been replaced with another, more natural emotion. Anger.

He looked Luke up and down, seeing evidence of reckless behavior from the bottom of his muddy boots to the top of his bedraggled hair.

Luke tried a smile. "Interrogate me. Good one." He held up his binder-clad wrists. "Can we get rid of these?"

"I wasn't joking."

Luke's smile faded and he let his wrists fall. "Listen, this isn't as bad as it looks!"

"How can it possibly not be as bad as it looks?" Vader said, incredulous. "I left you at the training camp, and now I discover you have joined the Rebellion! I realize you were upset, but this is taking things too far!"

"Will you relax?" Luke said. "I haven't joined anything. I didn't even know this was a Rebel ship until I got here. My friend Zev at the camp needed to escape, so I helped him."

"You helped him join the Rebellion? Is that what you are telling me?"

"I ... uh ... why do you always twist things around to make it sound worse?"

"I do not need to twist anything. It is already unbelievably bad. Luke, you never cease to amaze me. I always think you cannot possibly top your last stunt, and then you come right out and surprise me. I thought stowing away on a bounty hunter's ship had to be the high point in your crusade to drive me to insanity, but then I find you roaming the galaxy on a Rebel ship!"

"I have already said I didn't know it was the Rebellion," Luke said. "It was an acci-"

"Don't you _dare_," Vader said, waving a finger at him. If he heard those words one more time, something was going to snap.

Luke quickly shut up.

"You could have been _killed!_ Do you have any idea what these people would have done if they'd known you were my son?"

"The captain knew," Luke said, quietly. "He was going to transport me back to the camp. It was the stormtroopers who nearly shot me, not the Rebels."

"You were nearly _shot_?!"

"They missed by at least three meters," Luke insisted.

Vader stared at the ceiling for a moment, trying to release his anger into the Force. He could barely remember how to do that, it had been so long. A Sith did not normally have need for restraint. But, of course, a Sith normally didn't have to raise a teenage son. Eventually, Vader looked back down.

"What am I going to do with you?" He stared at Luke for a moment, and then said. "I feel like I have aged ten years in the last five minutes."

Luke stared at his boots. "I'm sorry."

"You are sorry. Is that all?"

"I don't know what else to say," Luke said. "Just that I'm really tired, hungry and wet. I thought I was going to end up in a prison cell. You've got no idea how glad I was to see you ..."

"Wet?" Vader said, confused. "How did you get wet?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Vader picked a piece of water-weed out of his son's hair, and then gave him a look that was a mix of sheer disbelief and ongoing frustration.

"Come with me," he said, finally, feeling more than a little weary.

* * *

Luke stayed close to his father as they moved through the corridors of the star destroyer. They appeared to be taking the back routes, as they encountered no one except droids and stormtroopers, who certainly didn't bother to stare at him or ask questions. At first, Luke was wary of his father's mood, and didn't want to make anything worse. But the excitement of being on such a huge ship soon became too much.

"Can I see the bridge?" he asked, quietly.

"It is good you have managed to maintain your sense of humor in all this," his father said, guiding him into a nearby elevator. He pushed the button for one of the upper levels.

"Come on ... please?"

"No. I will not have you endearing yourself to the crew with your farmboy-in-space routine. Your presence here has thus far remained between us, and I intend to keep it that way."

"Farmboy in space?!" Luke said. "That's not fair."

"I believe we established a long time ago that I am not fair."

_Too true_, Luke thought.

There was silence until the elevator reached its destination. His father gripped his upper arm as they walked into the corridor, and kept a firm hold until they reached his quarters. He entered the security code to release the doors, and then finally used the Force to release Luke from the binders.

Luke gazed around at the rooms, taking it all in. Ironically, it was more home-like than they had at home. There was actually a room resembling a lounge, with couches and tables. That alone told Luke that these quarters had not been designed with his father in mind.

His father sealed the doors behind him. "I suppose it is pointless to ask if you have a change of clothes with you."

Luke instantly reached behind him, only to discover his backpack was absent. The last time he remembered having it was when he and Zev were stowing away in the back of the freighter. A freighter that could be anywhere by now. Luke considered it, and then remembered Bran had told him the freighter's cargo had been dumped. Chances were that his belongings were among the crates.

"All my things are in my backpack," Luke said. "It's still on the Rebel ship ... most likely in the ship hangar, among the cargo. Maybe I should go back for it ..."

"You will not be leaving these quarters until we reach Coruscant. That is an _order_."

"Yes, _sir_," Luke said, sarcastically. Unfortunately, he'd become so used to hearing people say that at the camp, it came out sounding less sarcastic than he liked. Regardless, his father chose to ignore it.

"I will go back and retrieve your belongings. You will use the refresher facilities and go to bed."

"I'm starving!" Luke protested.

His father appeared torn for a moment, and Luke expected to hear some remark about having thought of that before he left the training camp. But he finally relented.

"I will have a serving droid tend to you. Now, go and remove those wet clothes before you become ill."

His father pointed towards a door, which Luke assumed must be the refresher. He gratefully moved towards it, looking forward to washing off the last of the mud and stagnant water. He was never going to jump in a river again.

* * *

Retrieving Luke's belongings from the Rebel ship took longer than Vader expected. Every three meters he was stopped by crew members and stormtroopers needing guidance. Their inexperience was an annoyance, but he had to admit the boarding operation had gone as well as he could expect. Perhaps it was his overriding concern with his son, but he couldn't bring himself to care that a few minor ships had escaped. The loss of Captain Flenn, who had taken his own life along with several troops in a thermal detonator explosion, was a far greater annoyance, but even that couldn't compare to the fact of finding his son in this place of death and violence.

He could only hope his good fortune would continue, and word of Luke's presence on the _Harbinger_ would not be revealed. The last thing he wanted was "Darth Vader's Son: The Rebel!" headlines splashed all over the HoloNet. His master would not be impressed.

When he returned to his quarters, he retrieved some pajamas from Luke's backpack, while noting that his son had clearly packed without the intention of returning to the camp. Not that it surprised him. After today, he doubted anything Luke did would surprise him again. He walked over to the refresher door, and knocked once. When no response was forthcoming, he walked on in.

"Do you _mind_?!"

Vader looked over at the sound of the voice, and saw Luke was immersed in a circular pool-like bubble bath. There was so much foam, the only part of his son that was visible was his head. An empty plate rested on the side, along with a glass full of some kind of juice.

"I see you are taking full advantage of the facilities," Vader said, setting the pajamas down on the basin counter top. "Put your old clothes in the disposal unit when you are finished."

"Okay, okay," Luke said, sticking his arm out of the water to wave him towards the door.

"I am going to the bridge," Vader said. "Use my personal comlink if you need anything." He paused halfway out the door, and turned back to Luke. "And, in case you were wondering, young one, we have not finished discussing this _incident_. I will expect a full and complete explanation by the time we reach Coruscant."

"I wasn't wondering," Luke said, sounding dejected.

"Good."

* * *

Vader spent three hours seeing to the aftermath of the boarding operation. Once the recaptured ship and the _Harbinger_ had both entered the safety of hyperspace, he set about the task of going over the prisoner list. A few notable names that would keep him occupied when they returned to Coruscant. For now, Fondor was their destination.

Once satisfied everything was under control, he returned to his quarters. Luke was lying in the middle of the bed, curled up in a deceptively innocent fetal position. Vader hesitated in the doorway, concerned about waking him. But soon he entered the dark room, and picked up a blanket that had slipped onto the floor. It was cold in space, and Luke needed to keep warm, considering he had apparently been running around the galaxy in wet clothes for hours. He placed the blanket gently over his son's sleeping form, and then backed away slowly. Despite his anger over the reckless behavior, it was good to have Luke back where he could keep an eye on him.

Once he returned to the main room, he reached up to close the bedroom door. There was a holocom call he had to make, one he should have made a few hours ago, and one he didn't want Luke to overhear.

By his guess, it was past midnight at the training camp. But the commander answered his call immediately, never the less. Vader knew that he'd been expecting it. It was tempting to pretend that he didn't know Luke was missing from the camp, just to see if the commander would tell him, but such games would require more patience than he possessed right now.

"Commander Hayge," Vader said, "I understand my son went missing from your care earlier this evening."

"We are doing everything we can to -"

Vader held up a hand. "Fortunately for you, he managed to find his way back to me."

"I ... I'm glad to hear it."

"I should have you all executed," Vader said. "But then, I also have a personal insight into how hard it is to get my son to stay in one place. I congratulate you for keeping him there for as long as you did. However, he will likely be spending the rest of his summer break locked in a tower with a rancor standing guard."

"I understand, sir. It was a pleasure having him with us. Sir, if I may ask ... what of Cadet Veers? We assumed they were together, as they went missing at the same time."

Vader absorbed the words, realizing that 'Cadet Veers' must be this friend Luke spoke of that had joined the Rebellion.

"According to my son, he was last seen in the company of Rebels," Vader explained.

The commander frowned, and dropped his gaze. "His father will be devastated."

Vader was about to make some disparaging remark about said father's parenting skills, but a thought made him hesitate. It could just as easily be him in that position. Luke had expressed his dislike of the Emperor on more than one occasion. It wouldn't take much for the Rebel recruiters to spin their poisonous lies and mislead his naïve young offspring into their traitorous cause.

"Send him my personal condolences," Vader said. "And remind him that all is not lost. We have successfully reeducated Rebels before. And many come to see the error of their views and return to our fold."

"Very true, sir."

"This defection may hint of a new recruiting tactic among the Rebellion," Vader added. "Adolescents are especially vulnerable to Rebel propaganda. I imagine some would defect simply to spite their parents."

"The enemy truly has no honor," the commander said. "To prey on the young and vulnerable. I assure you, sir, there will be no further defections among my cadets. We will make sure of that."

"See that you do."

Vader cut the call. He stared at the blank holoprojector for a while, and then leaned back in his chair, considering the situation. Perhaps he should make more of an effort to discuss the political situation with Luke. Some part of him had wanted to preserve his son's innocence as long as possible. Even to give him the kind of childhood he never had. But if today's events had proven anything, it was that Luke was never going to have a normal life.

Presently, he became aware of something slightly odd in the room. A familiar presence ... his son was awake. He stood up and walked over to the bedroom door, as quietly as he could manage. When he pressed the door-release, one blonde-mop came spilling out onto the carpet.

"Eavesdropping," Vader said, looking down at his son. "Remind me to add that to _the list_."

"I couldn't hear anything," Luke tried, as he picked himself up off the floor. "Not really."

"Why aren't you asleep?"

"I woke up," Luke explained.

"Then go back to sleep," Vader said, pushing Luke back into the bedroom. "Unless you want to resume our _conversation_ about why I found you on a Rebel ship."

"I guess it would be better to get it out of the way," Luke shrugged.

Vader placed a hand on his son's forehead, concerned the boy might have picked up some illness in all his wandering. Volunteering to listen to a lecture? This was not typical behavior.

"Are you feeling all right?"

Luke nodded half-heartedly.

Vader stretched out with the Force, searching for any sign of sickness. He was met with an immediate rush of pained emotions that threatened to choke him. He tried to mentally back away, but Luke had latched on to his attempt to link, and was trying to communicate something. An image of a dead stormtrooper, lying on the deck of the Rebel ship filled Vader's mind, and he sensed Luke's disgust and sadness at the sight. It was followed by Luke's memories of the day he'd dropped him off at the military camp, then his son's subsequent guilt over his lack of any goodbye. A confused rush of feelings and images that made little sense to Vader followed this, until Luke finally released the link, and sat back on the bed.

"I can't sleep knowing you're angry with me."

Vader was silent, trying to understand what he'd felt from Luke.

"You were certainly managing it before," he said, eventually.

Luke shook his head. "You _still_ can't tell when I'm faking sleep."

Vader released a weary sigh. "Very well, young one." He sat beside Luke on the bed. "We will talk. Tell me about the camp. You were miserable?"

Luke nodded. "I thought the commander would have told you," he said, looking at the floor. "He said he was going to contact you."

"He did. He said you were unhappy about the weather. And what is this about you threatening to choke someone?"

Luke visibly cringed. "That was taken out of context. I was having an argument with someone about ... well, it was about _you_. He said something, then I said something ... anyway, it's not important. It wasn't the weather that was annoying, it was an officer who was always picking on my friend Zev. You'd have liked him, which says it all. Then the commander banned me from doing anything, in case I hurt myself, because you told him you were going to kill them if anything happened to me. Thanks for that."

"And that is when you decided to go chasing after a Rebel ship?"

"We just wanted to get away from the camp," Luke explained. "We stowed aboard a freighter. We had no idea it was going to a Rebel ship."

"Where did you think it would be going?" Vader asked, feeling his old annoyance flare up. Luke always offered such illogical explanations. "Did you expect to be taken back to Coruscant?"

"I don't know," Luke said, matching his annoyed tone. "All I know is that I helped out a friend in need. Maybe it got a little out of hand ... a lot out of hand. I'll learn from my mistake. If you want to disown me, then go ahead ... I'm sick of trying to meet your impossible expectations! You're always angry with me over something."

"Luke -"

"And another thing," Luke said, folding his arms. "Let's talk about you when you were young. Okay, I admit I'm impulsive sometimes ... maybe even a little reckless. But so were you - I read this history of the clone wars at camp, and on every second page there was a story about you being impulsive!"

"You read _what_?"

"I had an entire list of ammunition for this argument, too," Luke said. "But I left it at camp. Blast it!"

"Ammunition?" Vader said, unable to believe the turn this conversation had taken. "You research history to prepare yourself to argue with me?"

Luke shrugged.

Vader took a moment to breathe deeply a few times, and then spoke. "Very well. You have had your spiel - now I have something to tell you."

"Here we go," Luke mumbled, under his breath.

"Number one," Vader said, choosing to ignore him. "I am not always angry with you, and expecting you to not recklessly endanger your life is _not_ impossible."

Luke made a vaguely disagreeable noise.

"Secondly, I have no desire to disown you. You are my son, and no amount of reckless behavior will ever change that."

This time, Luke was silent.

"Finally ..." Vader paused for a moment, recalling his last vision. He knew what he had to say. Even the subconscious characters in his mind knew what he had to say. It didn't make it any easier.

After a pause, he spoke again. "Luke, do you ever stop and think about how it makes _me_ feel when you purposely endanger your life?"

"I know it makes you angry."

"Why do you think it makes me angry?"

Luke sighed, fidgeting with the bed cover. "Because you don't want to lose me."

"If your life should be lost needlessly ... it would devastate me. I can't imagine a future without you by my side."

Luke looked up, taken aback. "I ... really?"

Vader paused, taking strength from the Force. He met Luke's gaze. "When I lost your mother, my life was ... destroyed. I spent years trying to piece it back together. When you resurfaced it was like I was given a second chance. If I should lose you ..."

"It wouldn't be your fault," Luke said.

"I am your father. It is my job to protect you."

"You can't stop me from making mistakes," Luke said. "I can't live without endangering myself sometimes."

"You could try a lot harder."

Luke opened his mouth to argue, but then simply nodded. "Things just seem to get a little crazy sometimes."

"And sometimes I suspect you just want my attention," Vader suggested.

Luke looked away for a moment, not agreeing, but not outright denying, either. Vader knew it was hard for his son to admit to needing his attention. He liked to present himself as independent and mature, not needing anyone to watch out for him, but today's incident indicated more than ever that his son still needed his father. If only to bail him out when things fell outside his control.

"I think we need to reach an agreement," Vader said. "If we are to survive the rest of this summer vacation together."

"I'm listening."

"You will do your absolute best to stay out of trouble. That means thinking about the risks involved before you do anything. You will also listen and take heed when I chastise you."

"And what are you going to do?" Luke asked, his voice suggesting he considered this a pretty raw deal so far.

"Continue to show an inhuman amount of patience."

"And not ship me off to military camp?"

"As long as you stay away from bounty hunter's ships. And Rebel ships, for that matter."

"Okay, done." Luke extended his hand, and Vader shook it. After a moment, Luke let go and stared at him in a curious way. "I just hope you're not going to alter that deal tomorrow."

"You are very suspicious for someone so young," Vader said, standing up, and dragging the blanket back over Luke's shoulders. "Go to sleep."

"I've been living with you for a while now," Luke said, pointedly.

* * *

**Epilogue**

* * *

Vader stood in front of the elevator, marveling at how good he felt. He would almost go as far to say that he was in a favorable mood. It had been a long time since anyone could say that of him. This truly was a day blessed by the Force.

It was true that the galaxy was plunged further into war as each day passed, and his master grew more demanding by the day. It was also true that he lived in constant pain and isolation behind a restrictive life support device. His past may torment him, and depression and anger may be his constant companions, but none of that mattered today. Today was _the_ day.

Down the corridor, a door slid open with a hissing sound. Luke stepped out, hanging his head like he was going to the dentist. A bag was slung loosely over his right shoulder. It was a slow journey down the corridor, as his son reluctantly put one boot in front of the other, until he was standing a short distance away from Vader.

"How is my favorite son this morning?" Vader enquired.

There was no response.

"You seem unusually dispirited," Vader noted. "What could possibly depress you on such a fine day?"

"And you seem in an unusually good mood," Luke said, giving him an irritated glance. "Stop rubbing it in. And don't play innocent - you know very well what's wrong. You've probably had this day programmed into your calendar for weeks!"

Vader tried, but he couldn't quite keep the amusement out of his voice. "I thought you liked school."

"Not the first day back after summer vacation!"

Vader revealed a black plastic bag from behind his back. "Here. Something to improve your mood."

Luke accepted the bag, and peered into it. When he looked back up, his eyes were wide with surprise.

"A packed lunch?"

"I had the droids make it with all your favorite foods."

"Thanks," Luke said, stowing it away in his school bag. "But nothing will improve my mood today."

"I have enough time to give you a ride to school," Vader suggested. "We could take one of the custom-built speeders and impress your classmates."

"Having you drop me off at school wouldn't impress anybody," Luke said. "_Terrify_ people, maybe."

"All the more reason."

Luke shook his head, and then smirked. "You just want to make sure I actually make it through the doors."

Vader waved a finger at his son. "Can you blame me?"

"Come on," Luke said. "I haven't given you any grief since the Rebel ship."

"I know. It makes me suspicious. I wonder if there is some pending disaster on the horizon."

"Oh, I have something in the works," Luke said. "You know me. Full of surprises."

Vader joined him in the elevator, intent on seeing his son to the exit corridor, even if he couldn't take him right to the door of his classroom. Luke was right - that would cause more terror than good.

"By the way," Luke said, looking up. "I've been meaning to ask you something ever since I got back from camp."

Vader a funny feeling he knew what the question would be, but he played along.

"Proceed."

"Remember that droid I built? The one you called REQ-Less 1? I haven't seen him since ..."

"Perhaps you should ask Artoo for an explanation."

"I did. He denies even knowing what I'm talking about. Why ... you don't mean ... he's gone?" Luke looked up in surprise.

"It might have been possible to piece the wreckage back together," Vader said, considering it. "However, it appears even the remains were destroyed while I was aboard the _Harbinger_."

"I don't believe this!" Luke said. "Artoo destroyed him?! The droid I spent three weeks building?! Why? How?"

"Go easy on him, son," Vader said, feeling his mood improve even further. "It was an accident."

* * *

_The End_

* * *


End file.
